700 


Jewish   Ceremonial   Institutions 
and  Customs 


Jewish 


Ceremonial  Institutions 

and 

Customs 


by 

William  Rosenau,  Ph.  D. 

Rabbi,  Congregation  Oheb  Shalom 

Associate  in  Post-Biblical  Hebrew,  yohns  Hopkins  University 

Baltimore.  Md. 


Second  and 
Revised  Edition 


BALTIMORE,   MD.,    U.  S    A. 

THE  LORD  BALTIMORE  PRESS 

PUBLISHERS 
1912 


COPYRIGHT,  1903,  BY  WILLIAM  ROSENAU 
COPYRIGHT,  1912,   BY  WILLIAM   ROSENAU 


Printed,  illustrated  and  bound  by 

Z$t  Borb   (gaUimovt  (preee 

BALTIMORE,    MD.,   U.  6.  A. 


THIS    BOOK    IS    RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED 

BY   THE   AUTHOR 

TO   HIS  FRIEND 

MR.    HENRY   SONNEBORN 


OF  THE 

SONNEBORN    COLLECTION 

OF 

JEWISH    CEREMONIAL  OBJECTS 

JOHNS    HOPKINS    UNIVERSITY 

BALTIMORE.    MD. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I — The  Synagogue  and  its  Utensils n 

II— The   Worshipper   and  the   Week   Day 

Service 45 

III — The  Sabbath  Service 67 

IV — Passover,  Pentecost,  and  the  Fasts 77 

V — The  Tishri   Holidays   and   the   Half- 
Holidays  91 

VI — Customs  in  the  Home 107 

VII — Sabbath  in  the  Home , 115 

VIII— The  Festivals  in  the  Home 121 

IX — Circumcision    and    Redemption    of   the 

First  Born 131 

X— Bar  Mitzvah 149 

XI — Marriage  155 

XII — Divorce  and  Chalitzah 167 

XIII — Mourning  Customs 177 

XIV — Ritualistic  Slaughtering 183 

Index    189 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Seder  Plate, frontispiece 

Parocheth,  Curtain   for  Ark,     .     .     .  facing  page  28 

Torah  with  Robe  and  Ornaments,     .  "  32 

Silver  Shield   for  Torah,       ....  32 

Silver  Pointer, "  32 

Silver  Ornaments  for  the  Upper  Part 

of  Torah, "  32 

Unrolled  Torah, "  37 

Phylactery  for  Head, "  51 

Phylactery   for   Arm "  51 

Rabbenu  Tarn's   Phylacteries,     ...  51 

Large  Talith, "  61 

Fringe  for  Talith, "  61 

Atarah,  Silver  Collar  for  Talith,    .     .  "  61 

Small  Talith, "  64 

Spice  Boxes  for  Habdalah,    ....  "  71 

Candlestick  for  Habdalah,     ....  "  71 

Shofar    (Ram's    Horn), 94 

Palm  Branch, "  98 

Citron   Receptacle, 98 

Parchment  Scroll  of  the  Book  of  Esther,     "  104 

Mezuzoth,       "  109 

Mezuzah  Scroll, "  109 

Sabbath    Lamp, "  115 

Candlesticks  and  Candelabra,     ...  "  116 

Kiddush  Cup, "  124 

Passover   Kiddush   Goblet     ....  "  124 

Chanukkah   Lamp, "  128 

Marriage  Contract, "  164 

Bill  of  Divorce, "  169 

Knife  for  Slaughtering  of  Fowl,    .     .  "184 

Knife  for  Slaughtering  of  Small  Cattle,  "  184 

Knife  for  Slaughtering  of  Large  Cattle,  "  184 

Circumcision    Knife "  184 


PREFACE 

The  lectures,  on  which  the  matter  con- 
tained in  this  volume  is  based,  were  orig- 
inally delivered  by  me  before  the  Oriental 
Seminary  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University 
in  the  winter  of  1901.  The  reading-  of  their 
abstracts  in  the  Jewish  and  secular  press 
prompted  many  persons  to  ask  for  the  loan 
of  my  manuscript.  When  told  that  such 
loan  could  not  be  made,  the  suggestion  was 
offered  that  I  print  the  lectures  for  circula- 
tion. Hence,  I  determined  to  cast  the  lec- 
tures into  popular  form.  The  second  and 
revised  edition  is  published  on  account  of  the 
undiminished  demand  for  this  book.  The 
accompanying  plates  are  based  on  the  objects 
of  the  Sonneborn  collection  of  Jewish  cere- 
monial objects,  at  the  Johns  Hopkins  Uni- 
versity. 

W.  R. 


Seder  Plate 


CHAPTER  I 
The  Synagogue  and  its  Utensils 

The  Jewish  ceremonial  institutions  to  be 
treated  in  the  course  of  these  chapters  are 
such  as  are  still  in  vogue  among  the  great 
majority  of  Jews.  The  .fact  that  not  all 
Jews  observe  them  is  due  to  a  marked  ten- 
dency in  the  Synagogue  to  de-rabbinize 
Judaism,  by  laying  less  emphasis  on  the 
forms  and  more  on  the  spirit  of  the  faith. 
There  is,  however,  not  a  single  Jewish  con- 
gregation, be  the  congregation  ever  so  rad- 
ical in  its  opposition  to  ritualism,  in  which 
all  ceremonial  institutions  have  been  abro- 
gated. The  conviction  is  well  nigh  univer- 
sal that  while  some  institutions  are  abso- 
lutly  meaningless  for  modern  Jews,  others 
are  closely  interwoven  with  the  history  and 
life  of  Judaism  because  expressive  of  cer- 
tain distinct  teachings,  aims  and  ideals. 

All  Jewish  ceremonial  institutions  do  not 
have  the  same  origin.     Many  are  compara- 


12  The  Synagogue 

tively  recent  establishments;  some  are  the 
creations  of  Talmudic  times ;  and  a  few  date 
back  as  far  as  the  early  days  of  the  second 
Jewish  commonwealth  (circa  500  B.  C.). 

Taken  in  their  entirety  they  may  be 
grouped  under  two  large  divisions : 

( 1 )  Those  obtaining  in  the  synagogue. 

(2)  Those  obtaining  in  the  home. 

In  taking  up  the  first  class,  a  word  or  two 
should  be  said  about  the  name,  purpose, 
and  origin  of  the  synagogue.  The  term 
synagogue  is  the  Greek  auvaywyij,  an  as- 
sembly from  <Tuvdyeiv  "  to  bring  to- 
gether"). Its  Hebrew  equivalent  is  rvn 
no^nn  and  its  Aramaic  equivalent  «n^3D  IV3 
"  house  of  assembly." 

Among  Jews  the  synagogue  is  generally 
spoken  of,  as  nDJDn  mi,  although  the  names 
rtam  rvn  "house  of  prayer,"  wrbx  rvn 
"  house  of  God,"  mn»  rva  "  house  of  the 
Lord,"  tnpo  "  sanctuary,"  and  vipnn  rra 
"  house  of  holiness,"  titles  by  which  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem  was  originally  known, 
are  also  applied  to  it.     The  term   "  syna- 


And  its  Utensils  13 

gogue,"  by  which  is  meant  the  Jewish 
house  of  worship,  was  coined  about  the 
middle  of  the  third  century  B.  C.  in  Alex- 
andria, where  the  Jews  first  came  in  contact 
with  Grecian  culture  and  adopted  Greek  as 
their  daily  speech. 

The  purpose  of  the  synagogue  was  al- 
ways threefold :  devotional,  educational, 
and  communal.  While  the  Jew  is  not  only 
not  forbidden,  but  enjoined  to  indulge  in 
private  devotions  at  his  home,  and  at  times 
also  at  the  homes  of  others,  he  is  always 
expected  to  give  proof  of  his  identification 
with  the  congregation  by  attendance  at  set 
public  services.  The  synagogue  is  consid- 
ered the  means  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Jewish  religion.  "  Do  not  separate  thy- 
self from  the  congregation  "  '  is  made  the 
basis  of  this  duty.  On  week  days  public 
services  are  conducted  twice  daily  in  the 
synagogue;  in  the  morning  a  little  after 
sunrise,  and  in  the  evening  shortly  before 

'Aboth  II,  5. 


14  The  Synagogue 

sunset.  On  the  Sabbath  and  on  every  holi- 
day, services  are  conducted  on  the  eve  of 
the  day,  in  the  morning,  the  afternoon  and 
evening. 

Every  synagogue  is  also  a  school.  There 
the  young  are  taught  the  branches  neces- 
sary for  an  active  participation  in  the  pub- 
lic devotion  and  for  the  proper  understand- 
ing of  the  literature  and  history  of  Israel. 
In  many  a  synagogue  we  may  find  classes 
for  adults  meeting  daily  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  the  Old  Testament,  the  Mishnah, 
the  Talmud,  the  Midrashim,  and  later  Rab- 
binical works.  This  fact  accounts  for  the 
name  "  Schul,"  or  "  Schule,"  as  applied  to 
the  synagogue  by  German  Jews  and  Jews 
of  German  extraction. 

Until  recently  almost  every  synagogue 
was  the  center  of  Jewish  social  activity. 
Whatever  charity  had  to  be  dispensed 
among  the  deserving  poor  was  furnished  by 
the  persons  in  congregational  authority. 
In  fact  all  communal  affairs  im  on*  were 
discussed  and  settled  in  the  council  of  the 


And  its  Utensils  15 

synagogue.      Such   is  still  the  case  in  the 
smaller  Jewish  centers. 

The  synagogue,  as  a  devotional,  educa- 
tional and  communal  institution  is  accord- 
ing to  Talmudic  tradition  post-exilic  in 
origin.  At  the  time  of  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miah,  the  people  held  gatherings  for  the 
reading  of  the  law  and  the  offering  of 
prayers.  The  Temple  and  synagogue 
stood  side  by  side.  v~\pn  rrnb>  pan  arisen  Tin 
"  The  synagogue  is  second  only  to  the 
sanctuary,"  said  an  ancient  teacher.2  In  the 
second  temple  a  hall  known  as  "  The  hall 
of  hewn  stone  "  JVTJfi  niub  was  devoted 
to  synagogal  purposes.  Already  before 
the  destruction  of  the  second  temple  (70 
A.  C. )  the  synagogue  grew  in  prominence 
as  a  social  factor.  We  are  told  in  the  Tal- 
mud, that  synagogues  flourished  in  all 
towns  and  villages  of  Palestine.  There 
were  some  even  in  Jerusalem.  The  Pales- 
tinean    synagogues    mentioned    as    having 

2  Targum  Ezek.  11 :  6. 


1 6  The  Synagogue 

arisen  from  time  to  time,  are  those  of  Lydda, 
Caesarea,  Nazareth,  Capernaum,  and  thir- 
teen at  Tiberias.  The  later  Babylonian 
synagogues  of  which  records  have  been  pre- 
served are  those  of  Nehardea,  Huzal,  and 
Mata  Mechasia.  Celebrated  synagogues 
known  to  have  been  located  beyond  Pales- 
tine and  its  immediate  surroundings  are 
those  of  Alexandria,  Antioch,  Damascus, 
Thessalonica,  Ephesus,  Corinth,  Athens,  and 
Rome. 

The  architecture  of  synagogues  is  not  ac- 
cording to  any  fixed  plan.  All  sorts  of 
designs  have  been  followed,  the  Moorish 
predominating  and  the  Gothic  having  been 
carefully  avoided.  Israel  Abrahams  com- 
menting on  the  architecture  of  the  syna- 
gogue, says :  "  As  to  the  shape  of  syna- 
gogues, no  special  form  can  be  called  Jewish. 
A  famous  authority  of  the  last  century 
maintained  that  no  Jewish  law  old  or  new 
restricted  the  fancy  of  synagogue  architects 
in  this  respect.  He,  himself,  authorized  the 
choice  of  an  octagonal  form,  and  this  shape 


And  its  Utensils  17 

is  now  rather  popular  on  the  continent.  .  .  . 
The  Temple  courts — which  were  used  for 
prayer  meetings — were  oblong  or  square, 
but  there  was  at  one  time  a  prevalent  notion 
in  England  that  synagogues  were  round." 

The  site  chosen  for  the  erection  of  syna- 
gogues is  always  prominent.  Synagogues 
are  usually  built  at  street  corners,  near  gate- 
ways, along  running  streams  of  water,  or  in 
open  fields.  The  attempt,  whenever  possi- 
ble, is  made  to  build  synagogues  on  elevated 
ground,  in  order  that  the  house  of  God  may 
be  the  most  conspicuous  structure.  Rab,  a 
teacher  of  the  third  century,  remarks,  that 
the  city  in  which  private  residences  tower 
above  the  synagogue  cannot  escape  destruc- 
tion.4 And  Rab  Ashi  (352-427  A.  C.)  be- 
lieves, that  the  preservation  of  the  Babylon- 
ian city  Sura  in  times  of  trying  persecution 
must  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  its  syna- 
gogues surpassed  all  other  structures  in  size. 

3  Abrahams:  "Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages," 
p.  30. 

1  Sabbath  11,  a. 


1 8  The  Synagogue 

A  custom  worthy  of  notice  is,  that  a  syna- 
gogue was  never  torn  down  or  disposed  of 
before  another  existed  to  take  its  place. 

The  position  of  the  synagogue  is  regu- 
lated by  custom.  The  majority  of  the  syna- 
gogues face  West  and  those,  which  do  not, 
have  their  auditoriums  so  arranged  that 
worshippers  face  the  East  while  praying. 
Or,  to  put  it  in  different  words,  the  entrance 
is  in  most  instances  on  the  west  side  of  the 
building  and  the  ark  toward  which  the  wor- 
shippers turn  while  praying,  is  along  the 
eastern  wall.  According  to  the  Mishnah  5 
the  Jews  at  the  time  of  the  existence  of  the 
temple  turned  to  the  West  while  praying,  as 
a  protest  against  sun-worshippers  who  were 
in  the  habit  of  greeting  the  sun  by  turning 
toward  it  in  the  morning.  When  sun-wor- 
ship ceased,  about  the  time  of  the  Israelitish 
dispersion  70  A.  C,  Jews  living  west  of 
Jerusalem  turned  eastward  as  a  mark  of 
grief  and  hope,  while  those  east  of  Jerusalem 

5  Succah  5 :  4. 


And  its  Utensils  19 

turned  westward.     Another  reason  for  the 

existence  of  this  custom  is  supposed  to  be 

found  in  I  Kings  8 :  48. 

"And  (they)  pray  unto  Thee  toward  their  land 
which  Thou  gavest  unto  their  fathers,  the  city  which 
Thou  hast  chosen  and  the  house  which  I  have  built 
for  Thy  name." 

Whether  synagogues  need  to  be  built  so 
that  worshippers  turn  toward  the  East  is  a 
matter  of  dispute  among  the  teachers  of  the 
Talmud.  Rabbi  Abin  declared  the  custom 
a  law  only  while  the  temple  existed,  and 
Rabbis  Ishmael  and  Oshaiah  believed  the 
custom  unnecessary  on  the  ground  that  God 
is  everywhere  and  not  confined  to  one  spot. 

Although  in  synagogues  there  is  a  total 

absence  of  all  images,  portraits  and  statues 

because     of     the     commandment    (Exodus 

20:3,4): 

"  Thou  shalt  not  have  any  other  gods  before  Me ; 
Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thyself  any  graven  image, 
or  the  likeness  of  anything  in  the  heavens  above,  the 
earth  beneath,  or  the  waters  under  the  earth," 

the  interior  of  synagogues  is  far  from  being 
severely  plain.      We  often  find   Scriptural 


20  The  Synagogue 

passages  inscribed  along  the  walls.  In  some 
instances  the  decorations  are  costly.  Tra- 
dition tells  of  the  marvelous  beauty  of  the 
Alexandrian  synagogue.  Spanish  and  Italian 
synagogues  were  famous  for  their  elaborate- 
ness. The  lion  is  the  favorite  decoration. 
It  was  always  regarded  the  symbol  of  pro- 
tection and  reminded  the  worshipper  of 
Genesis  49 : 9. 

"  Like  a  lion's  whelp,  O  Judah,  from  the  prey,  my 
son,  thou  risest." 

The  double  triangle  in  po  "  The  shield 
of  David,"  although  visible  on  the  exterior 
and  interior  of  almost  every  synagogue,  is 
anything  but  of  Jewish  origin.6 

Israel  Abrahams  remarks :  "  Some  au- 
thorities applied  the  restriction  (namely  of 
decorating  synagogues  with  images)  only 
to  the  human  figure.  .  .  .  Others  forbade 
all  representation  of  natural  objects.  ...  In 
the  twelfth  century  the  Cologne  synagogue 
had  painted  glass  windows  and  it  was  not  an 

*  Friedlander's  "  Jewish  Religion  "  ;  Jewish  Encycl. 
Vol.  VIII,  p.  251. 


And  its  Utensils  21 

unknown  thing  for  birds  and  snakes,  proba- 
bly grotesques,  rather  than  accurate  repre- 
sentations, to  appear  without  Rabbinical 
sanction  on  the  walls  of  the  synagogue."  " 

In  the  majority  of  synagogues  we  find  no 
musical  instruments.  Wherever  the  orsran 
exists  it  is  a  comparatively  recent  institution. 
The  reason  for  the  absence  of  instrumental 
music  lies  in  the  prohibition  to  play  instru- 
ments on  Sabbaths  and  Holy  days  8  (as  such 
playing  is  considered  work)  and  in  the  de- 
sire to  preserve  an  apparent  mourning  for 
the  destruction  of  the  temple. 

Only  a  small  proportion  of  synagogues 
can  boast  of  family  pews.  In  most  of  them 
the  women  are  separated  from  the  men ;  the 
latter  congregating  in  the  so-called  "  court 
for  men  "  d»bok  mm,  and  the  former  in  the 
so-called  "  court  for  women  "  w>m  mir.  To 
the  court  for  men  women  are  not  admitted. 
The  court  for  women  is,  as  a  rule,  a  room 
adjoining  the  court  for  men,  the  two  courts 

7  Abrahams,  Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,  p.  29. 
s  Erubin  104,  a. 


22  The  Synagogue 

communicating  by  a  window  or  balcony.  If 
there  is  no  separate  apartment  for  women, 
the  women  are  given  seats  behind  the  men 
and  are  curtained  off  from  the  latter.  It  is 
in  this  way  that  the  women  are  enabled  to 
follow  the  services.  Galleries,  like  those  in 
modern  synagogues  where  family  pews  have 
not  yet  been  introduced,  were  not  known  in 
earlier  times.  The  separation  of  the  sexes 
undoubtedly  dates  back  to  the  W3  mw  "  the 
court  for  women  "  in  the  Temple.8  The 
reasons  urged  at  present  for  the  exclusion  of 
women  from  the  main  auditorium  of  some 
synagogues  are,  the  Biblical  precedent  that 
women  were  not  permitted  to  enter  the 
premises  of  the  sanctuary  and  the  fear  that 
their  presence  might  distract  the  attention  of 
the  men  in  their  devotions.  Israel  Abra- 
hams tells,  that  formerly,  in  their  own 
prayer  meetings,  the  women  were  led  by 
female  precentors,  some  of  whom  acquired 
enviable  reputations  as  such.     The  epitaph 

9  Middoth  2  :  5. 


And  its  Utensils  23 

of  one  of  them,  Urania  of  Worms,  belong- 
ing perhaps  to  the  thirteenth  century,  runs 
thus: 

"  This  headstone  commemorates  the  eminent  and 
excellent  lady  Urania,  the  daughter  of  R.  Abraham, 
who  was  the  chief  of  the  synagogue  singers.  His 
prayer  for  his  people  rose  up  unto  glory. 

And  as  to  her,  she,  too,  with  sweet  tunefulness 
officiated  before  the  female  worshippers  to  whom  she 
sang  the  hymnal  portions.  In  devout  service  her 
memory  shall  be  preserved."  w 

The  seats  for  the  worshippers  are  in  many 
instances  arranged  along  the  walls  of  the 
synagogue  in  order  to  leave  the  center  of  the 
auditorium  perfectly  free  for  the  pulpit.  In 
such  instances  the  seats  of  the  learned  of  the 
congregation  are  nearest  to  the  eastern  wall 
or  immediately  in  front  of  the  ark. 

As  a  rule  the  auditorium  consists  of  three 
parts  corresponding  to  the  three  apartments 
of  the  temple  of  Jerusalem.  The  first  apart- 
ment, as  one  enters  the  door  of  the  audi- 
torium, corresponding  to  the  temple  court,  is 
the  space  occupied  by  the  congregation  dur- 

10 "  Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,"  p.  26. 


24  The  Synagogue 

ing  worship.  The  second  apartment,  corres- 
ponding to  the  inner  space  of  the  temple, 
where  altar,  shew  bread,  table,  and  candel- 
abra were  found,  consists  of  a  platform  with 
the  \rbw  (lit.  "  table  ")  "  reading  desk."  In 
the  Talmud  this  platform  is  called  "  bema  " 
( from  the  Greek  farxa) .  It  is  known  also  by 
the  name  "  almemar  "  corrupted  from  the 
Arabic  "  al-minbar,"  pulpit.  The  third 
apartment,  corresponding  to  the  "  Holy  of 
Holies  "  in  the  temple  with  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  in  which  were  deposited  the  two 
tablets  of  stone,  consists  of  the  ark  with  the 
scrolls  of  the  law.  The  third  apartment  is 
separated  from  the  second  by  a  "  curtain  " 
rims. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  first  apartment, 
the  space  occupied  by  the  congregation,  re- 
quiring special  description. 

The  second  apartment,  "  bema,"  or  "  al- 
memar," is  a  raised  platform.  The  officiat- 
ing precentor,  known  as  nm  ivbw  "  messen- 
ger of  the  congregation  "  to  the  Most  High, 
here  conducts  the  services  and  reads  the  sec- 


And  its  Utensils  25 

tions  from  the  law  and  the  prophets.  It  is 
also  the  place  where  all  public  announce- 
ments are  made.  In  conducting  the  services 
the  appointed  readers  in  orthodox  syna- 
gogues always  face  the  East  and  hence  have 
their  backs  turned  to  the  congregation.  The 
reading  desk,  also  called  k'dud,  is  always 
decorated  with  a  richly  embroidered  cover. 
In  some  synagogues  the  foundation  of  the 
bema  extends  several  inches  below  the  floor 
of  the  auditorium,  in  order  that  the  follow- 
ing passage  may  be  literally  observed  : 

"  Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  unto  the  Lord."  " 

If  the  bema  is  not  built  thus,  special 
prayers  directed  to  God  are  delivered  from 
a  place  lower  than  the  bema,  usually  the 
place  between  the  bema  and  the  ark. 

In  many  synagogues  there  is  no  space 
between  the  bema  and  the  ark — the  bema 
being  pushed  forward  toward  the  ark.  Mai- 
monides,  a  teacher  of  the  twelfth  century, 
fixes  the  bema  in  the  center  of  the  auditor  - 

11  Ps.  130:  1. 


26  The  Synagogue 

ium,  as  located  in  the  ancient  Alexandrian 
synagogue,  in  order  that  the  precentor  might 
be  heard  equally  well  in  all  parts  of  the 
building.  Joseph  Caro,  a  teacher  of  the  six- 
teenth century  and  author  of  the  Shulchan 
Aruch,  "  the  prepared  table  "  (a  code  on  the 
Jewish  ritual,  to  which  frequent  references 
will  be  made),  grants  the  privilege  of  mov- 
ing the  bema  toward  the  ark.  In  Germany, 
Austria,  England,  France  and  America, 
Jews  have  built  synagogues  availing  them- 
selves of  the  privilege  granted  by  Joseph 
Caro,  while  in  Portugal  and  Spain  the  opin- 
ion of  Maimonides  is  followed. 

Between  the  bema  and  the  ark,  that  is, 
immediately  in  front  of  the  ark,  we  find  sus- 
pended the  Ton  "o  "  perpetual  lamp."  It  is, 
as  its  name  indicates,  kept  constantly  burn- 
ing. It  is  made  of  gold,  silver  or  burnished 
brass.  As  an  institution  of  the  synagogue 
it  is  of  comparatively  recent  establishment. 
It  is  not  mentioned  by  Rabbinical  teachers. 
Its  Biblical  authority  is : 


And  its  Utensils  27 

"And  thou  shalt  command  the  children  of  Israel 
that  they  bring  the  pure  olive  oil  beaten  out  for  the 
lighting  to  cause  the  lamp  to  burn  always.  In  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation  without  the  veil 
which  is  before  the  testimony  Aaron  and  his  sons 
shall  order  it  from  evening  to  morning  before  the 
Lord.  It  shall  be  a  statute  forever  unto  their  gen- 
erations, on  behalf  of  the  children  of  Israel."  B 

Symbolically  it  is  the  representation  of  the 
conviction  of  Jews,  that  the  light  of  instruc- 
tion issues  from  the  synagogue. 

The  ark,  called  ran  or  piK  or  Bmpn  p"i, 
and  occupying  the  middle  of  the  east  side  of 
every  synagogue,  is  constructed  of  either 
wood  or  marble.  In  earlier  times  it  was 
simply  a  niche  in  the  wall.  It  is  the  reposi- 
tory for  the  scrolls,  of  which  in  all  congre- 
gations there  are  almost  always  several. 
Some  congregations  are  known  to  own  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty.  The  ark  is  always 
approached  by  steps  leading  to  it  from  the 
second  apartment.  On  the  top  of  every  ark 
are  found  two  tablets,  with  the  first  two 
words  of  each  of  the  ten  commandments  in 
Hebrew  characters,  representative  of  the  two 

12  Ex.  27:  20,  2i. 


28  The  Synagogue 

tablets  of  stone  brought  by  Moses  from  Mt. 
Sinai.  Immediately  below  these  tablets  the 
inscription  mow  nn«  »D  ^sb  in  "  Know  be- 
fore Whom  thou  art  standing,"  is  seen  in 
many  synagogues.  The  whole  ark,  or  some- 
times only  the  receptacle  for  the  scrolls,  is 
covered  by  a  curtain,  beautifully  embroid- 
ered. This  curtain  is  made  either  of  satin, 
silk  or  velvet.  A  favorite  figure  on  the  cur- 
tain is  a  crown  with  the  letters  n'3  the  ini- 
tials of  mm  "ins  "  The  crown  of  the  law  " 
below  it.  An  inscription  often  found  on  the 
curtain  is :  tod  nrh  r\\rv  *rw  "  I  have  always 
set  the  Lord  before  me."  1S  On  different  oc- 
casions we  find  different-colored  curtains. 
The  curtain  of  the  ark,  for  the  most  part, 
corresponds  in  color  with  the  cover  of  the 
reader's  desk  and  with  the  robes  of  the 
scrolls.  If,  for  example,  red  prevails  on 
Sabbaths,  purple  is  used  on  Passover,  Feast 
of  Weeks  and  Feast  of  Booths.  White  is, 
however,  everywhere  the  color  of  the  vest- 

18  Ps.  16 :  8. 


Parocheth — Curtain  for  Ark 


And  its  Utensils  29 

ments  on  the  New  Year's  festival  and  the 
Day  of  Atonement. 

Formerly,  the  ark  was  portable,  like  the 
ark  of  the  covenant.  On  certain  extraordi- 
nary occasions,  when  on  account  of  absence 
of  rain  a  general  fast  was  ordered,  the  ark 
with  the  scrolls  was  carried  into  the  street, 
where  special  services  were  conducted. 

The  scrolls  found  in  the  ark  contain  the 
five  books  of  Moses  in  Hebrew  characters. 
The  text  is  unpointed  and  unpunctuated ; 
that  is,  only  the  consonants  are  given. 
Neither  are  chapters  and  verses  indicated. 
Every  scroll  is  known  as  a  "  sefer,"  "  book  " 
or  as  "  torah,"  "  law  "  or  as  "  sefer  torah," 
"  the  book  of  the  law." 

The  special  rules  governing  the  making 
of  the  scrolls  are  given  in  Caro's  Shulchan 
Aruch.14  The  sefer  torah,  or  scroll,  is  a 
parchment  roll  written  by  hand  upon  the 
thoroughly  cured  skin  of  a  clean  animal. 
The  skin  of  the  calf  or  sheep  is  usually  taken 

M  Yoreh  Deah,  Sefer  Torah,  §§270-284. 


30  The  Synagogue 

for  this  purpose,  though  the  skin  of  other 
animals  may  be  used.  The  ink  is  made  of 
lamp-black.  While  the  text  is  unpointed  and 
unpunctuated  the  paragraphs  are  marked 
according  to  the  Masora,  some  starting  a 
new  line,  others  leaving  space  at  the  end  of 
the  line.  The  width  of  a  leaf,  often  consist- 
ing of  several  columns,  must  not  exceed  the 
circumference  of  the  scroll  when  closed. 
The  width  of  the  margin  alongside  of  the 
separate  columns  is  regulated  by  law.  The 
separate  leaves,  when  completed,  are  fast- 
ened together  with  the  sinews  of  a  clean 
animal,  so  as  to  form  a  scroll,  and  are  then 
mounted  on  wooden  rollers,  the  handles  of 
which,  protruding  above  and  below,  are  of 
either  wood,  ivory  or  silver.  The  writer, 
"  sopher,"  must  have  his  attention  riveted 
upon  his  work.  The  parchment  must  be 
written  upon  one  side  only.  When  a  leaf 
has  been  completed  the  writing  must  always 
be  turned  upward.  If  dust  gathers  on  the 
written  parchment  it  is  regarded  a  mark  of 
disrespect  shown  the  law.     Mistakes  may  be 


And  its  Utensils  31 

corrected,  but  no  mistakes  should  be  left  un- 
corrected for  more  than  thirty  days.  The 
person  writing  a  scroll  must  be  not  only  an 
^expert  scribe  but  also  a  man  of  unquestioned 
piety. 

When  the  scroll  is  in  the  ark  it  is  attired 
as  follows :  First  it  is  held  secure  by  a  linen, 
silk,  or  velvet  wrapper  usually  inscribed.  A 
silver  clasp  is  sometimes  used.  The  linen, 
silk,  and  velvet  wrappers  are  in  some  locali- 
ties the  donations  of  the  male  children  and 
are  by  them  brought  to  the  synagogue  on 
the  occasion  of  their  first  visit  to  the  house 
of  God.  This  first  visit  usually  takes  place 
as  soon  as  possible  after  circumcision.  The 
child  is  taken  to  the  synagogue  and  there  it 
places  the  wrapper  on  the  scrolls.  In  this 
event  the  wrapper  contains  the  full  names  of 
the  child  and  of  its  parents  in  Hebrew  char- 
acters. When  the  scroll  is  secure  a  robe  is 
placed  over  it.  Robes  are  of  different  colors, 
mostly  corresponding  to  the  color  of  the  cur- 
tain suspended  in  front  of  the  ark,  and  are 
beautifully  embroidered  in  gold.     Some  of 


32  The  Synagogue 

the  inscriptions  embroidered  on  the  robes 
are: 

no*Dn  mm  mm  "  The  law  of  the  Lord  is 
is  perfect." 

ma  mm  mvo  "  The  commandment  of  the 
Lord  is  clear." 

mm  D»pnv  "|»id  "  The  support  of  the  right- 
eous is  the  Lord." 

n'D  meaning  nun  ina  "  The  crown  of  the 
law." 

Sometimes  we  find  only  the  double  tri- 
angle, the  so-called  shield  of  David. 

In  addition  to  the  robe  many  a  scroll 
is  handsomely  decorated  with  trimmings, 
known  as  KHip  ^3  "  holy  vessels  "  made  of 
metal.  These  vessels  are  in  most  instances 
of  silver.  Over  the  upper  rollers  are  placed 
artistically  worked  top  pieces  with  bells. 
Over  the  robe  an  elaborate  breast  plate  is 
suspended  by  a  chain.  And  over  the  breast 
plate  a  pointer  extends,  terminating  in  the 
figure  of  a  hand,  and  hence  called  "  yad  " 
(hand),  with  which  the  reader  points  to  the 
text  while  reciting  the  Pentateuchal  portion. 


Torah  with  Robe  and  Ornaments 


And  its  Utensils  33 

This  pointer  is  suspended  from  the  scroll  by 
a  chain  and  is  often  twelve  inches  long.  A 
fact  worth  mentioning  is  that  the  top  pieces 
for  the  rollers  and  the  breast  plate  are  us- 
ually decorated  at  the  upper  end  with  a 
crown  emblematic  of  the  crown  of  the  law. 
In  addition  to  the  crown  decorating  the 
breast  plate,  are  also  the  figures  of  lions — 
symbols  of  strength. 

The  scroll  is  read  every  Sabbath,  usually 
between  the  morning  service  "  shacharith  " 
and  the  additional  or  forenoon  service 
"  mussaf." 

The  recitation  of  the  portion  from  the 

scrolls  is  called  "  the  reading  of  the  law," 

minn  n«np.     The  reading  of  the  law  once 

every  seven  years  we  find  enjoined  in  Deut. 

31:  10-13. 

"  At  the  end  of  every  seven  years,  in  the  solemni- 
ty of  the  year  of  release,  in  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles 
when  all  Israel  is  come  to  appear  before  the  Lord 
thy  God,  in  the  place  which  He  shall  choose,  thou 
shalt  read  the  law  before  all  Israel  in  their  hearing. 
Gather  the  people  together,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, and  the  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates,  that 
they  may  hear,  and  that  they  may  learn,  and  fear  the 


34  The  Synagogue 

Lord  your  God,  and  observe  to  do  all  the  words  of 
this  law ;  and  that  their  children,  which  have  not 
known  anything,  may  hear  and  learn  to  fear  the  Lord 
your  God." 

For  the  purpose  of  Sabbath  readings  the 
Pentateuch  is  divided  into  a  large  number 
of  sections.  There  are  twelve  in  Genesis, 
eleven  in  Exodus,  ten  in  Leviticus,  ten  in 
Numbers  and  eleven  in  Deuteronomy;  or 
fifty-four  in  all.  In  a  year  of  12  lunar 
months,  consisting  of  either  353,  354  or  355 
days,  there  are  at  the  most  5 1  Sabbaths.  To 
get  over  the  entire  law  in  one  year  in  such 
congregations,  in  which  the  annual  cycle 
prevails,  the  combination  of  two  consecutive 
sections  into  one  takes  place  on  some  Sab- 
baths. The  reading  of  the  law  is  conducted 
in  regular  order  beginning  with  the  first 
chapter  of  Genesis,  on  the  Sabbath  immedi- 
ately following  the  Festival  of  Rejoicing 
Over  the  Law,  celebrated  on  the  23d  day  of 
Tishri.  In  order  not  to  bring  the  law  to  an 
end  at  any  time,  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis 
is  read  on  the  Feast  of  Rejoicing  Over  the 
Law  as  soon  as  the  book  of  Deuteronomy 


And  its  Utensils  35 

has  been  completed.  The  sections  are  known 
by  names  taken  from  one  word  or  two 
words  in  their  respective  opening  verses. 
Thus  the  first  one  is  known  as  "  Bereshith  " 
(in  the  beginning),  the  second  as  "  Noah," 
the  third  as  "  Lech  Lecha  "  (get  thee  out), 
and  so  on.  On  holidays  the  portions  of  the 
law  read  are  usually  those  which  contain 
some  direct  or  indirect  reference  to  the  occa- 
sion celebrated.  If  a  holiday  happens  to  fall 
on  Sabbath,  the  regular  Sabbath  portion  is 
set  aside  for  the  holiday  section.  On  Sab- 
baths occurring  on  the  new  moon,  on  the 
four  Sabbaths  immediately  preceding  Pass- 
over, and  on  holidays  two  scrolls  are  usually 
read.  From  the  first  the  Sabbath  or  holiday 
section  is  read,  while  from  the  second  an 
account  of  the  special  Biblical  custom  attach- 
ing to  the  specific  occasion  in  question  is 
read.  Each  section  is  called  a  sidra  (order), 
and  each  sidra  is  divided  into  seven  sub-sec- 
tions. When  the  scroll  is  put  on  the  desk 
eight  males  are  called  to  the  bema.     Every 


36  The  Synagogue 

one  of  these  recites  the  following  blessing  be- 
fore the  reading  of  a  sub-section : 

"  Praise  ye  the  Lord,  Who  is  to  be  praised ;  praised 
be  the  Lord,  Who  is  to  be  praised  forever  and  aye." 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  chosen  us  from  among  all  nations 
and  has  given  us  His  law.  Praised  be  Thou,  O 
Lord,  Giver  of  the  law." 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  sub-section  the 

person  called  to  the  scroll  recites  this  second 

benediction : 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  given  us  a  law  of  truth  and  has 
placed  within  us  the  longing  for  life  eternal.  Praised 
be  Thou,  O  Lord,  Giver  of  the  law." 

Originally  every  person  called  to  the  desk 
read  his  own  sub-section.  Later,  however, 
in  order  not  to  embarrass  persons  unable  to 
read  the  unpointed  text,  the  precentor  or 
reader,  appointed  for  the  purpose  ( anip  bvi ) 
read  the  whole  sidra.  The  only  exception 
made  was  the  occas'on  of  a  boy's  Bar  Mitz- 
vah,  confirmation  (an  event  which  com- 
memorates the  attainment  of  his  thirteenth 
birthday),  when  the  boy  himself  reads  his 
portion.     The  order  in  which  people  are 


Unrolled  Torah 


And  its  Utensils  37 

called  to  the  desk  is  as  follows:  First  we 
have  a  representative  of  the  priestly  family 
of  Aaron  called  a  Cohen;  then  a  descendant 
of  the  house  of  Levi,  called  Levi ;  and  then 
six  others,  supposed  to  belong  to  the  other 
tribes  of  Israel,  who  are  simply  termed 
Israelites.  The  six,  known  as  Israelites,  are 
summoned  to  the  desk  as  the  third,  the 
fourth,  the  fifth,  the  sixth,  the  seventh  and 
Maftir  "  he  who  is  to  conclude."  Among 
Portuguese  Jews,  as  in  many  orthodox 
European  and  Asiatic  synagogues,  those 
called  to  the  desk  are  summoned  by  their  full 
Hebrew  names.  In  earlier  times  this  custom 
obtained  among  all  Jews. 

The  eighth  person  summoned  (Maftir), 
whose  Pentateuchal  sub-section  consists  of 
the  last  few  verses  of  the  seventh  sub-sec- 
tion, is  obliged  to  read  the  portion  from  the 
Prophets  assigned  for  the  Sabbath.  A  pro- 
phetical section  is  read  on  every  Sabbath  and 
holiday.  The  subject  matter  of  the  propheti- 
cal section  selected  by  the  liturgists  of  the 
synagogue  always  treats  a  theme  similar  to 


38  The  Synagogue 

the  one  discussed  in  the  Pentateuchal  por- 
tion. The  origin  of  the  Haphtaroth,  pro- 
phetical sections,  is  a  matter  of  dispute.  One 
theory  holds,  that  they  originated  in  times 
of  persecution,  when  Jews  were  forbidden 
to  read  the  scroll.  Another  claims,  that  the 
Haphtaroth  served  as  a  protest  against  the 
Samaritans,  who  regarded  only  the  Torah 
and  not  the  other  Scriptural  writings  holy. 
It  is,  however,  more  than  likely  that  these 
prophetical  sections  were  introduced  as  soon 
as  the  prophetical  writings  became  a  part  of 
the  Biblical  canon. 

The  scroll  is  also  read  during  the  services 
on  Sabbath  afternoon  (the  section  then  al- 
ways consisting  of  the  opening  sub-section 
of  the  portion  of  the  following  Sabbath), 
and  on  Mondays  and  Thursdays  at  the  early 
morning  service.  The  reading  of  the  scroll 
on  Mondays  and  Thursdays  is  supposed  to 
have  originated  at  the  time  of  Ezra,  who 
provided  for  such  reading  for  the  benefit  of 
the  country  people.  They  came  to  the  city 
on  these  days  and  could  not,  on  account  of 


And  its  Utensils  39 

the  Sabbath  law,  which  prevented  their 
travelling  great  distances,  come  to  listen  to 
the  reading  of  the  regular  portion  on  the 
Sabbath  day. 

In  some  congregations,  instead  of  an  an- 
nual cycle  of  the  reading  of  the  Pentateuch, 
a  three  years'  cycle,  and  in  others  even  a 
seven  years'  cycle  obtains.  The  great  ma- 
jority of  congregations,  however,  still  ad- 
here to  the  annual  cycle. 

The  calling  of  persons  to  the  desk  for  the 
recitation  of  benedictions  over  a  sub-section 
has  been  discontinued  by  many  congrega- 
tions in  order  to  maintain  decorum  during 
services,  which  was  often  materially  im- 
paired. In  such  cases  the  regularly  officiat- 
ing precentor  is  the  only  one  to  recite  the 
benedictions. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  the  number 
of  persons  called  to  the  bema  in  those  con- 
gregations where  the  annual  cycle  obtains 
is  3  on  Sabbath  afternoons  and  week  days; 
4  on  new  moon  and  half  holidays  (Choi 
Hammoed),  by  which  is  meant  the  festive 


40  The  Synagogue 

week  of  Passover  and  Feast  of  Booths;  5 
on  festivals;  and  6  on  the  Day  of  Atone- 
ment. These  numbers  given  for  holidays 
and  the  Day  of  Atonement  do  not  include 
the  Maftir,  the  concluding  section  accom- 
panied by  a  prophetical  portion,  added  on 
these  days,  as  has  been  before  stated. 

The  manner  of  the  reading  of  the  law  is 
worthy  of  explanation.  The  section  is  usu- 
ally sung.  This  is  also  the  case  in  the  read- 
ing of  the  Haphtarah,  though  the  intona- 
tion of  the  Haphtarah  is  different  from  that 
of  the  sections  of  the  scrolls.  The  accents 
found  in  the  Masoretic  text  of  the  Bible, 
serve  as  musical  notes  to  indicate  how  cer- 
tain words  are  to  be  intoned.  The  Greek 
word  rprnzTj  (Trope)  is  the  name  given  by 
German  Jews  to  the  peculiar  chant,  while 
the  Hebrew  "  Neginah  "  (melody)  is  used 
in  the  same  sense  among  Portuguese  Jews. 
This  chant  has  been  developed  into  an 
elaborate  system.  Among  the  so-called  Re- 
form Jews,  the  chant  is  not  used  in  the  read- 
ing of  the  Scriptures.     Nor  is  the  chant  the 


And  its  Utensils  41 

same  for  all  occasions  and  among  all  Jews. 
The  chant  for  the  New  Year  and  Day  of 
Atonement  is  different  from  that  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  that  of  German  Jews  from  that  of 
the  Portuguese  Jews.  The  custom  of  chant- 
ing the  Bible  is  undoubtedly  as  old  as  the 
use  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  devotion  of  the 
synagogue.  A  Talmudical  authority  re- 
marks : 

"  Whoever  reads  the  Bible  without  pleas- 
antness (i.  e.,  modulation  of  the  voice  or 
chanting)  and  teaches  the  oral  law  without 
song,  to  him  are  applied  the  words  taken 
from  Ezekiel  20 :  25 :  'I  also  gave  them 
statutes  which  were  not  good.'  " 1B 

The  removal  of  the  scrolls  from  the  ark 
before  reading  and  their  return  to  the  ark 
after  reading  is  accompanied  with  great 
solemnity.  The  character  of  the  service  is 
not  always  the  same  the  world  over.  Jews 
located  in  sections  widely  separated  from 
one  another  have  different  ritualistic  forms 

"Megillah  29,  b. 


42  The  Synagogue 

of  procedure.  The  one  most  common  in 
Europe  and  America  is  given  here.  First  a 
hymn  of  glorification  is  rendered,  opening: 
"  There  is  none  among  the  gods  like  Thee, 
O  Lord."  The  congregation  rises  while  the 
ark  is  opened  and  the  precentor  steps  before 
the  ark  reciting  the  words :  "  When  the  ark 
journeyed,  Moses  said :  Arise,  O  Lord,  and 
let  Thine  enemies  be  scattered  and  let 
those  who  hate  Thee  flee  before  Thee. 
From  Zion  the  law  goes  forth  and  the  word 
of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  Praised  be 
He,  who  gave  the  law  in  its  holiness  to 
Israel,  His  people."  Then  follow  the  decla- 
ration of  the  oneness  of  God  and  the  proc- 
lamation of  His  greatness.  From  the  ark 
the  precentor  goes  in  solemn  procession  with 
the  scroll  to  the  bema,  where  the  ornaments, 
robe  and  wrapper  are  removed,  and  the  scroll 
is  prepared  for  reading.  Before  the  reading 
takes  place  the  scroll  is  unrolled  to  the  ex- 
tent of  a  few  columns  of  the  text  and  lifted 
up  before  the  assembled  congregation  as  in 


And  its  Utensils  43 

Portuguese  congregations  while  the  precen- 
tor exclaims : 

"  This  is  the  law  which  Moses  put  before  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  by  command  of  the  Lord." 

The  honor  of  closing  and  dressing  the 
scrolls  is  in  most  congregations  conferred 
upon  two  worshippers,  the  one  holding, 
while  the  other  re-invests  the  scroll  with 
wrapper,  robe  and  ornaments. 

When  the  scroll  is  returned  to  the  ark 

songs  of  praise  are  again  rendered,  which 

conclude  with  the  following  exclamations : 

"  Valuable  instruction  I  have  given  you.  Forsake 
ye  not  my  law.  It  is  a  tree  of  life  to  those  who  lay 
hold  of  it,  and  its  supporters  are  happy.  Its  ways 
are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  its  paths  are  peace. 
Cause  us,  O  Lord,  to  return  to  Thee  and  we  shall 
return.    Renew  our  days  as  of  old." 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Worshipper  and  the  Week  Day 
Service 

In  our  attempt  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  religious  customs  and  practices  of  Israel 
we  shall  in  this  chapter  make  in  thought  a 
visit  to  the  Jewish  house  of  worship  and  ob- 
serve some  of  the  special  institutions  worthy 
of  note.  There  is  perhaps  no  class  of  people 
to  whom  the  house  of  worship  is  more  sacred 
than  to  the  Jew.  The  laws  preventing  its 
desecration  are  numerous  and  are  framed  to 
meet  all  violations  of  sanctity,  in  which  men 
may  indulge.  The  Jewish  teachers  of  the 
second  century  placed  the  same  emphasis 
upon  respect  for  the  synagogue  as  upon 
regard  for  the  ancient  temple,  of  which 
the  synagogue  is  the  substitute.  They  for- 
bade laughing  and  talking  within  its  walls.1 
At  his  entrance  and  departure  the  worship- 

1  Megillah  28,  a. 


46  The  Worshipper  and 

per  is,  as  they  said,  to  conduct  himself  with 
decorum.  They  tell  that  one  should  go 
quickly  to  the  house  of  God,  but  leave  it 
slowly.2  Eating  and  drinking  are  prohibited 
in  the  synagogue.3  Refuge  from  the  heat 
and  rain  was  not  to  be  taken  in  it.*  People 
are  admonished  to  be  among  the  first  at  its 
services.5  Before  entering  the  synagogue 
the  hands  should  be  washed.  For  this  pur- 
pose a  pitcher  with  water  is  found  in  the 
ante-room,  corresponding  to  the  laver  before 
the  sanctuary  and  temple.  In  some  locali- 
ties burial  from  the  synagogue  is  forbidden 
because  of  the  defilement  of  the  holy  place 
by  the  corpse.  An  exception  is  made  only  in 
case  the  dead  is  one  learned  in  the  law. 

Upon  close  examination  we  find  that  a 
public  service  is  never  begun  unless  the 
quorum  fixed  by  tradition  is  present.  This 
quorum  consists  of  ten  men.    Less  than  ten 

2  Sabbath  32,  a. 
3MegilIah  28,  a. 

4  Megillah  28,  b. 

5  Baba  Metzia  107,  a. 


The  Week  Day  Service  47 

men  is  never  regarded  a  congregation  suffi- 
ciently large  for  public  devotion.  In  the 
Ethics  of  the  Fathers  we  read 

"  If  ten  are  assembled  and  are  engaged  in  the  study 
of  the  law,  the  Shechinah  resides  among  them."6 

It  is  on  the  basis  of  this  opinion  that  the 
size  of  the  quorum  was  fixed.  While  ten 
constituted  a  quorum  in  the  earliest  days  of 
the  existence  of  the  synagogue,  Treatise 
Soferim  mentions  that  in  Palestine  services 
were  once  held  with  seven  men.7  Women 
do  not  count  as  members  of  the  quorum. 
The  Rabbinical  law  exempts  women  from 
the  performance  of  all  religious  duties  which 
are  to  be  executed  at  a  definite  time.8  How- 
ever, in  some  instances  of  the  modern  occi- 
dental synagogue,  not  only  women  are 
counted  in  the  congregational  quorum,  but 
also  ten  people  are  not  considered  absolutely 
necessary  for  holding  public  worship. 

Many  communities  are  in  the  habit  of 
having   ten   persons    attend    services   at   a 

6Aboth  3:  4. 

7  Soferim  10 :  7. 

8  Kiddushin  1 :  7. 


48  The  Worshipper  and 

compensation,  in  order  that  the  conducting 
of  a  service  be  not  prevented.  During  the 
Middle  Ages,  when  in  all  probability  this 
custom  arose,9  the  persons  engaged  for  this 
purpose  were  the  older  students  of  the  Tal- 
mudic  schools.  Later,  however,  it  became 
customary  to  select  persons  from  the  deserv- 
ing poor. 

While  in  the  synagogue,  worshippers  keep 
their  heads  covered,  a  practice  observed  also 
by  many  persons  when  reading  any  and 
every  Hebrew  text,  because  literature  writ- 
ten in  the  so-called  "  holy  tongue  "  is  con- 
sidered specially  sacred  and  its  study  is  re- 
garded a  religious  act.  A  not  insignificant 
number  of  Jews  consider  it  a  sacrilege  to  go 
with  uncovered  head  at  any  time.  There  is 
no  Biblical  warrant  for  this  custom,  although 
it  is  often  stated,  that  as  the  high  priest  wore 
a  head  covering  when  officiating  in  the  sanc- 
tuary, so  should  every  Jew  when  praying. 
The  wearing  of  the  head  gear  is  undoubtedly 

"Abrahams:  "Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages," 
P.  57- 


The  Week  Day  Service  49 

nothing  more  than  a  remnant  of  orientalism. 
Among  Mohammedans  and  Parsees  the 
same  practice  obtains.  Nor  does  the  lengthy 
discussion  of  the  Talmudical  passage  hp'  xh 
m?»n  -w  n«3  ip&o  na  "  One  should  not  make 
his  head  light  before  the  Eastern  gate  " 10 
convince  the  student  that  the  wearing  of  the 
hat  is  anything  more  than  a  custom  without 
basis  in  law. 

If  some  people  consider  the  wearing  of  a 
head-covering  an  important  feature  in  the 
devotion  of  the  Jew,  the  cause  is  none  other 
than  the  insistence  of  Paul  of  Tarsus,  that 
men  should  sit  in  the  church  with  uncovered 
head  as  the  surest  means  of  severing  their 
connection  with  the  synagogue.     Says  Paul : 

"  Every  man  praying  or  prophesying,  having  his 
head  covered,  dishonoreth  his  head.  For  a  man  in- 
deed ought  not  to  cover  his  head."  u  u 


10  Berachoth  54,  a. 

u  I  Cor.  2 :  4,  7. 

12  For  an  exhaustive  treatise  of  this  custon  in  all 
its  various  aspects  we  refer  to  Fluegel's  "  Gedanken 
ueber  Religioese  Braeuche  und  Anschauungen." 


5<d  The  Worshipper  and 

In  a  number  of  Jewish  congregations  the 
head  covering  is  removed  during  worship 
on  the  ground  that  occidental  residence  and 
oriental  habits  are  incompatible.  This  is 
no  new  departure.  Israel  Abrahams  tells, 
that  on  the  Feast  of  Rejoicing  Over  the  Law 
boys  in  the  15th  century  ascended  the  bema 
bare-headed  during  the  reading  of  the  Pen- 
tateuchal  section.13  Even  adults  were  known 
to  have  prayed  bare-headed  in  France.14 

A  point  noteworthy  in  this  connection  is, 
that  as  the  head  is  to  be  kept  covered  the 
hands  are  to  be  kept  uncovered.  Gloves 
must  therefore  be  removed  during  devotion. 
This  custom  is  based  on  the  synonymous  use 
of  praying  with  the  Biblical  phrase  "  spread- 
ing forth  the  hands." 

During  the  early  morning  prayers  on 
week  days,  but  not  on  Sabbaths  and  holi- 
days, in  the  Jew's  private  as  well  as  public 
devotions,  males  over  thirteen  years  of  age 

"Abrahams:  "Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages," 
P-  32. 
14  Geiger :  Juedische  Zeitschrift,  III,  142. 


The  Week  Day  Service  51 

wear  Tefillin  (phylacteries),  on  the  left  arm 
and  head.  The  Tefillin  are  two  square 
boxes  of  hard  parchment,  each  of  which  is 
called  a  "  Bayith,"  receptacle,  varying  in 
size  from  half  of  a  cubic  inch  to  two  and 
three  cubic  inches.  Each  receptacle  rests  on 
a  base  with  a  protruding  loop,  through 
which  a  leather  strap  is  drawn.  The  two 
ends  of  the  strap  are  tied  together  so  that 
the  knot  formed  by  the  strap  of  the  phylac- 
tery for  the  head  has  the  shape  of  the 
Hebrew  letter  "  daleth  "  n  and  the  knot  of 
the  phylactery  of  the  arm  has  the  shape  of 
the  Hebrew  letter  "  yad  "  *.  On  the  phylac- 
tery of  the  arm  we  see  no  letter  impressed, 
while  on  two  sides  of  the  exterior  of  the 
phylactery  of  the  head  we  see  the  letter 
"  shin "  w  embossed.  This  "  shin,"  to- 
gether with  the  "  daleth  "  and  "  yad,"  just 
referred  to,  constitute  the  word  HP  ("  shad- 
dai")  "  Almighty."  The  interior  of  the 
phylactery  for  the  head  is  divided  into  four 
compartments.  Into  each  one  of  these  is 
put  a  piece  of  parchment  containing  one  of 


52  The  Worshipper  and 

the  four  sections  of  the  Pentateuch,  inter- 
preted as  commanding  the  wearing  of  the 
phylacteries.  The  parchment  put  into  the 
first  compartment,  starting  with  the  right 
side  as  worn  on  the  head,  contains  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  And  the  Lord  spoke  unto  Moses  saying,  Sanctify 
unto  me  all  the  first  born,  whatsoever  openeth  the 
womb  among  the  children  of  Israel,  both  of  man  and 
of  beast:  it  is  mine. 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  Remember  this 
day  in  which  ye  came  out  from  Egypt,  out  of  the 
house  of  bondage ;  for  by  strength  of  hand  the  Lord 
brought  you  out  from  this  place ;  there  shall  no 
leavened  bread  be  eaten. 

This  day  came  ye  out  in  the  month  of  Abib. 

And  it  shall  be  when  the  Lord  shall  bring  thee  into 
the  land  of  the  Canaanites,  and  the  Hittites,  and  the 
Amorites,  and  the  Hivites,  and  the  Jebusites,  which 
he  sware  unto  thy  fathers  to  give  thee,  a  land  flow- 
ing with  milk  and  honey,  that  thou  shalt  keep  this 
service  in  this  month. 

Seven  days  thou  shalt  eat  unleavened  bread,  and  in 
the  seventh  day  shall  be  a  feast  to  the  Lord. 

Unleavened  bread  shall  be  eaten  seven  days,  and 
there  shall  no  leavened  bread  be  seen  with  thee, 
neither  shall  there  be  leaven  seen  with  thee  in  all  thy 
quarters. 

And  thou  shalt  shew  thy  son  in  that  day,  saying, 
This  is  done  because  of  that  which  the  Lord  did  unto 
me  when  I  came  forth  out  of  Egypt. 


The  Week  Day  Service  53 

And  it  shall  be  for  a  sign  unto  thee  upon  thine 
hand,  and  for  a  memorial  between  thine  eyes,  that  the 
Lord's  law  may  be  in  thy  mouth;  for  with  a  strong 
hand  hath  the  Lord  brought  thee  out  of  Egypt. 

Thou  shalt  therefore  keep  this  ordinance  in  his 
season  from  year  to  year."  13 

The  second  compartment  contains  these 
passages : 

"And  it  shall  be  when  the  Lord  shall  bring  thee 
into  the  land  of  the  Canaanites,  as  he  sware  unto 
thee  and  unto  thy  fathers  and  shall  give  it  thee. 

That  thou  shalt  set  apart  unto  the  Lord  all  that 
openeth  the  matrix  and  every  firstling  that  cometh 
of  a  beast  which  thou  hast;  the  male  shall  be  the 
Lord's. 

And  every  firstling  of  an  ass  thou  shalt  redeem 
with  a  lamb ;  and  if  thou  wilt  not  redeem  it  then  thou 
shalt  break  his  neck;  and  all  the  first  born  of  man 
among  thy  children  shalt  thou  redeem. 

And  it  shall  be  when  thy  son  asketh  thee  in  time  to 
come  saying,  What  is  this?  that  thou  shalt  say  unto 
him,  By  strength  of  hand  the  Lord  brought  us  out 
from  Egypt,  from  the  house  of  bondage ; 

And  it  came  to  pass  when  Pharaoh  would  hardly 
let  us  go,  that  the  Lord  slew  all  the  first  born  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  both  the  first  born  of  man  and  the 
first  born  of  beasts ;  therefore  I  sacrifice  to  the  Lord 
all  that  openeth  the  matrix  being  males ;  but  all 
the  first  born  of  my  children  I  redeem. 

And  it  shall  be  for  a  token  upon  thine  hand  and 
for  frontlets  between  thine  eyes;  for  by  strength  of 
hand  the  Lord  brought  us  forth  out  of  Egypt."  18 

15  Ex.  13:  1-10.  "Ex.  13:  11-16. 


54  The  Worshipper  and 

In  the  third  compartment  are  the  words : 

"  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord,  our  God,  is  one  Lord. 

And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord,  thy  God,  with  all 
thine  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
might. 

And  these  words  which  I  command  thee  this  day 
shall  be  in  thine  heart ; 

And  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  chil- 
dren, and  shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in 
thine  house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and 
when  thou  liest  down,  and  when  thou   risest  up. 

And  thou  shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon  thine 
hand,  and  they  shall  be  as  frontlets  between  thine 
eyes. 

And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  posts  of  thy 
house  and  on  thy  gates."  M 

The   parchment   in   the   fourth  compart- 
ment reads : 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  if  ye  shall  harken  dili- 
gently unto  my  commandments,  which  I  command 
you  this  day,  to  love  the  Lord,  your  God,  and  to  serve 
Him  with  all  your  heart  and  with  all  your  soul, 

That  I  will  give  you  the  rain  of  your  land  in  his 
due  season ;  the  first  rain  and  the  latter  rain,  that 
thou  mayest  gather  in  thy  corn,  and  thy  wine,  and 
thine  oil. 

And  I  will  send  grass  in  thy  fields  for  thy  cattle, 
that  thou  mayest  eat  and  be  full. 

Take  heed  to  yourselves  that  your  heart  be  not 
deceived  and  ye  turn  aside  and  serve  other  gods, 
and  worship  them; 

17  Deut.  6 :  4"9- 


The  Week  Day  Service  55 

And  then  the  Lord's  wrath  be  kindled  against  you, 
and  He  shut  up  the  heaven  that  there  be  no  rain,  and 
that  the  land  yield  not  her  fruit;  and  lest  ye  perish 
quickly  from  off  the  good  land  which  the  Lord  giveth 
you. 

Therefore  shall  ye  lay  up  these,  my  words,  in  your 
heart  and  in  your  soul,  and  bind  them  for  a  sign 
upon  your  hand,  that  they  may  be  as  frontlets 
between  your  eyes. 

And  ye  shall  teach  them,  your  children,  speaking 
of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thine  house,  and  when 
thou  walkest  by  the  way,  when  thou  liest  down  and 
when  thou  risest  up. 

And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  door-posts  of 
thine  house  and  upon  thy  gates."  18 

The  interior  of  the  phylactery  for  the  hand 
consists  of  only  one  compartment,  into 
which  is  put  a  parchment  containing  the 
above  four  sections  written  continuously. 
The  materials  used  in  the  making  of  the 
phylacteries  must  be  of  the  skin  of  clean 
animals  and  the  sections  indicated  must  be 
written  according  to  the  rules  governing 
the  writing  of  the  scrolls.  The  Talmudists 
trace  every  feature  of  the  phylacteries,  cer- 
tainly without  foundation,  as  far  back  as 
Moses,  as  they  do  almost  every  other  cere- 

18Deut.  11 :  13-20. 


56  The  Worshipper  and 

monial  institution  known  to  them.  Although 
the  straps  of  the  phylacteries  are  usually  of 
black  leather,  the  use  of  black  leather  could 
not  have  been  universal,  as  one  Rabbi 19  is 
said  to  have  fastened  his  phylacteries  with 
purple  ribbons.  The  Biblical  passage,  taken 
as  the  legal  basis  of  the  phylacteries,  is  the 
repeated  Pentateuchal  command,  "  and  thou 
shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon  thy  hand, 
and  they  shall  be  as  frontlets  between  thine 
eyes."  This  Biblical  command  is,  in  all  prob- 
ability, not  to  be  taken  literally,  but  figura- 
tively. It,  very  likely,  means  to  cherish  and 
remember  the  words  of  the  Lord. 

In  putting  the  phylacteries  on  the  body 
the  phylactery  of  the  arm  is  taken  first. 
The  box  is  fixed  firmly  on  the  naked  left 
arm,  upon  the  biceps  muscle,  above  the  elbow, 
and  while  this  is  done  the  worshipper  recites 
the  benediction : 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  His  command- 
ments and  commanded  us  to  lay  the  phylacteries." 

lp  Menachoth  34-36. 


The  Week  Day  Service  57 

Then  the  strap  is  wound  seven  times  about 
the  arm  below  the  elbow.  Thereupon  the 
phylactery  for  the  head  is  put  on  with  the 
box  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead  be- 
low the  hair  and  the  two  straps  are  arranged 
to  hang  over  the  shoulders,  one  on  each  side. 
While  putting  on  this  phylactery  this  bene- 
diction is  recited : 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  His  command- 
ments and  enjoined  upon  us  the  commandment  of 
the  phylactery." 

Returning  to  the  phylactery  of  the  hand, 
its  strap  is  wound  three  times  about  the  mid- 
dle ringer  and  then  around  the  whole  hand. 
While  this  is  done  the  following  words  are 
recited : 

"  I  betroth  thee  unto  me  forever ;  I  betroth  thee 
unto  me  in  righteousness,  in  judgment,  in  kindness 
and  in  mercy.  I  betroth  thee  unto  me  in  faithfulness 
and  thou  shalt  know  the  Lord."  20 

The  worshipper  now  petitions  God  to  con- 
sider the  performance  of  the  commandment 
regarding  the  phylacteries,  as  though  all  six 

20  Hosea  2  :  21.  22. 


58  The  Worshipper  and 

hundred  and  thirteen  commandments  had 
been  faithfully  executed.  Here  follows  the 
devotion. 

When  the  devotion  is  ended  the  phylac- 
teries are  usually  removed,  that  of  the  head 
being  taken  first.  In  putting  them  aside  the 
straps  are  twisted  around  the  base  of  the 
phylacteries.  The  phylacteries,  when  not  in 
use,  are  kept  as  a  rule  in  a  bag  of  velvet  or 
silk,  beautifully  embroidered  with  the  shield 
of  David,  or  otherwise  ornamented.  While 
to-day  phylacteries  are  worn  by  most  Jews, 
only  during  their  morning  devotion,  some 
people  formerly  wore  them  all  day.  There 
are  some  persons  who  lay  two  kinds  of  phy- 
lacteries; those  of  Rashi,  a  teacher  of  the 
1 2th  century,  in  whose  phylacteries  the  Bib- 
lical sections  of  the  parchment  are  written  in 
the  order  stated  above,  and  those  of  Rashi's 
grandson,  Rabbi  Jacob,  known  as  Rabbenu 
Tarn,  who  held  that  the  inverse  of  the  order 
given  by  Rashi,  should  be  the  order  of  the 
Biblical  sections  on  the  parchments.  The 
Karaites,   a  sect  established   in  the  eighth 


The  Week  Day  Service  59 

century  by  Anan  Ben  David  denying  the 
authority  of  Rabbinical  tradition  and  adher- 
ing only  to  the  Bible,  do  not  lay  phylacteries. 
Among  many  Jews  of  to-day  they  have  also 
fallen  into  disuse. 

The  term  "  Tefillin  "  reminds  one  of  "  te- 
fillah,"  prayer,  and  hence  denotes  things 
used  during  prayer.  Originally  it  may  have 
meant  ornament.  It  is  a  substitute  for  the 
Biblical  (totafah)  "  frontlet."  Its  English 
equivalent,  phylacteries,  is  derived  from  the 
Greek  <puXaxrrjpta  not  because  they  serve,  like 
the  <puXaxTypia,  as  amulets,  but  because  the 
tefillin  resemble  the  phylacteria  in  external 
appearance.  Placed  on  arm  and  head  they 
are  to  serve  as  reminders  to  cherish  with  the 
heart  and  to  contemplate  with  the  mind  the 
law  of  God. 

During  the  morning  service  every  male 
adult  wears  also  a  (talith)  praying  scarf. 
The  reader  wears  the  talith  on  all  occasions. 
In  some  congregations  mourners  wear  it 
during  the  benediction  in  which  they  extol 
God's  wisdom  and  greatness.     On  the  Fast 


60  The  Worshipper  and 

of  Ab  in  commemoration  of  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  the  talith  is  put  on  before  the 
afternoon  service  in  place  of  being  put  on 
at  the  beginning  of  the  morning  service. 
Among  the  Portuguese  Jews  even  boys  wear 
a  talith.  Some  people  have  two  praying 
scarfs,  one  for  week  days  and  another  of  bet- 
ter material  for  Sabbaths  and  holidays.  It 
usually  constitutes  one  of  the  remembrances 
given  a  boy  on  the  occasion  of  his  thirteenth 
birthday,  the  time  of  his  religious  majority. 
The  talith  is  a  rectangular  piece  of  linen, 
wool,  or  silk  cloth.  Some  teachers  objected 
to  the  linen  praying  scarf.  The  talith 
usually  has  blue  or  black  stripes  near  its  cor- 
ners running  all  the  way  across  the  material 
and  is  decorated  with  a  crown  (atarah),  con- 
sisting of  a  silk  ribbon  or  a  strip  of  either 
silver  or  gold  passementerie,  running  along 
the  exterior  upper  part,  so  that  when  put  on 
the  "  crown  "  fits  around  the  neck.  If  the 
crown  is  of  silver  or  gold  it  must  be  the  pure 
metal  and  should  be  marked  so.  On  each  of 
the  four  corners  of  the  talith  are  fringes — 


Large  Talith 

Fringe  for  Talith 

Atarah — Silver  Collar  for  Talith 


The  Week  Day  Service  6i 

linen  fringes  for  the  linen  talith,  silk  fringes 
for  the  silk  talith,  and  woolen  fringes  for  the 
woolen  talith.  Silk,  wool  and  linen  dare  not 
be  mixed,  the  mixture  of  various  materials 
being  forbidden  by  Biblical  law.21  Should 
they  be  mixed  the  praying  shawl  is  unfit  for 
ritualistic  use.  These  fringes  are  attached  in 
obedience  to  the  following  Biblical  injunc- 
tion: 

"  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel  and  bid  them 
that  they  make  them  fringes  in  the  borders  of  their 
garments,  throughout  their  generations,  and  that  they 
put  upon  the  fringe  of  their  borders  a  cord  of  blue; 
and  it  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  fringe  that  you  may 
look  upon  it  and  remember  all  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord  and  do  them;  and  that  ye  seek  not  after 
your  own  heart  and  your  own  eyes  after  which  ye  go 
astray."  22 

Another  passage  supposed  to  enjoin  the 
use  of  the  talith  is  : 

"  Thou  shalt  make  for  thyself  fringes  upon  the 
four  corners  of  your  garments  with  which  thou  cov- 
erest  thyself."  23 

21  Lev.  19:   19;  Deut.  22:  11. 

22  Numb.  15:  38,  39- 

23  Deut.  22 :  12. 


62  The  Worshipper  and 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  exact  shade  of 
the  prescribed  purple  cord  in  the  fringe  can- 
not be  procured,  white  is  used  exclusively. 
Already  in  Talmudic  times,  about  the  fifth 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  white  was  sub- 
stituted for  the  purple  cord,  owing  to  the 
difficulties  of  procuring  the  proper  shade  of 
purple.  The  material  for  the  fringes  must 
be  manufactured  for  their  express  purpose. 
If  of  wool,  they  must  be  of  wool  carefully 
shorn,  and  not  plucked  from  the  sheep.  The 
fringes  must  be  spun  by  Jews.  They  may  be 
spun  by  non-Jews,  only  provided  a  Jew 
supervises  the  work.  These  fringes  are  put 
in  a  hole  about  an  inch  from  the  edge  of  the 
talith.  The  manner  of  their  attachment  is 
the  following:  Four  threads,  one  of  which 
is  longer  than  the  others,  are  passed  through 
the  hole;  the  two  parts  of  the  threads  are 
bound  together  by  the  longer  thread  in  a 
double  knot;  then  the  longer  part  of  the 
longer  thread  is  wound  seven  times  about  the 
seven  halves  of  the  four  threads ;  then  follow 
eight  windings,  then  eleven,  and  then  thir- 


The  Week  Day  Service  63 

teen  windings,  and  after  each  set  of  wind- 
ings two  knots  are  made.  According  to  the 
Kabbalah,  these  knots  and  windings  have  a 
secret  meaning.  The  windings,  thirty-nine 
in  all,  correspond  to  the  numerical  value  of 
the  letters  constituting  the  two  words  ina 
mrv  "  The  Lord  is  One,"  since  each  letter  of 
the  Hebrew  alphabet  has  numerical  signifi- 
cance. 

The  talith  is  worn  either  carefully  folded 
over  the  shoulders,  open  and  hanging  over 
the  back,  or  often  over  the  head.  When  put 
on  the  worshipper  recites : 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  His  command- 
ments, and  commanded  us  to  encircle  ourselves  with 
fringes." 

The  merit  attached  to  wearing  the  fringes 
is  considered  very  great,  as  great  as  that  of 
laying  the  phylacteries.  The  talith,  when 
folded,  is  usually  stored  away  in  a  beautiful 
bag  made  for  the  purpose.  The  bag  is  of 
either  silk  or  velvet  and  elaborately  deco- 
rated. 


64  The  Worshipper  and 

In  distinction  to  the  talith  "  gadol,"  the 
large  praying  scarf,  used  during  public  de- 
votions, there  is  the  smaller  praying  scarf 
with  fringes,  used  by  all  males,  young  boys 
included.  It  is  known  also  by  the  name  of 
"  arba  kanfoth,"  the  four  cornered  garment. 
It  consists  of  any  piece  of  cloth  with  an 
aperture  in  the  center  large  enough  to  allow 
the  head  to  pass  through,  so  that  half  of  it 
falls  over  and  rests  on  the  back,  while  the 
other  half  falls  over  and  rests  on  the  chest. 
It  is  usually  worn  below  the  outer  garments 
and  is  put  on  in  the  morning,  immediately 
after  washing.  When  put  on,  this  benedic- 
tion is  recited : 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  His  command- 
ments and  enjoined  upon  us  the  command  with  re- 
gard to  the  fringes." 

The  "  arba  kanfoth  "  is  not  removed  again 
until  the  wearer  retires  for  the  night.  The 
small  praying  scarf  undoubtedly  originated 
at  the  time  of  persecution,  when  Jews  were 


Small  Talith 


The  Week  Day  Service  65 

obliged  to  practice  their  ceremonies  secretly. 
Like  the  phylacteries  the  praying  scarf  has 
fallen  into  disuse  among  some  Jews. 


CHAPTER  III 
The  Sabbath  Service 
From  institutions  characteristic  of  the 
week-day  services  let  us  proceed  to  those 
marking  the  Sabbath.  The  Jewish  Sab- 
bath and  holy  days  do  not  begin  with  mid- 
night, but  with  sundown  of  the  day  preced- 
ing, and  end  with  the  following  sundown. 
This  custom  is  based  on  the  oft-recurring 
phrase  in  the  Biblical  creation  story,  "  It 
was  evening,  and  it  was  morning "  (the 
evening  always  preceding  the  morning  in 
the  mention  of  the  day).  In  many  syna- 
gogues the  Sabbath  is  not  welcomed  in  any 
other  way  than  by  special  hymns  and  songs. 
However,  into  a  great  number  of  syna- 
gogues a  ceremony  called  the  "  Kiddush," 
a  feature  of  the  Sabbath  sanctification  in  the 
Jewish  home,  has  found  its  way.  The  "  Kid- 
dush "  consists  of  the  lifting  up  of  a  cup  of 
wine  by  the  precentor  at  the  close  of  the 


68  The  Sabbath  Service 

evening  devotion.  In  doing  this  the  pre- 
centor praises  God  the  Creator  of  the  Uni- 
verse (Who  is  reported  to  have  rested  on 
the  seventh  day),  for  the  creation  of  the  fruit 
of  the  vine  and  for  the  institution  of  the  Sab- 
bath.   The  "  Kiddush  "  runs  as  follows  : 

"  And  it  was  evening  and  it  was  morning  the  sixth 
day. 

And  the  heavens  and  earth  were  finished  and  all 
their  hosts.  And  on  the  seventh  day  God  had  fin- 
ished His  work  which  He  had  made,  and  He  rested 
on  the  seventh  day  from  all  His  work  which  He  had 
made.  And  God  blessed  the  seventh  day  and  hal- 
lowed it,  because  He  rested  thereon  from  all  His 
work  which  God  had  created  and  made.  Blessed  be 
the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the  Universe,  Who  cre- 
ates the  fruit  of  the  vine. 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  by  His  command- 
ments, and  has  taken  pleasure  in  us,  and  in  love  and 
favor  has  given  us  His  holy  Sabbath  as  an  inherit- 
ance, a  memorial  of  the  creation,  that  day  being  also 
the  first  of  the  holy  convocations  in  remembrance  of 
the  departure  from  Egypt,  for  Thou  hast  chosen  us, 
and  sanctified  us  above  all  nations  and  in  love  and 
favor  hast  given  us  Thy  holy  Sabbath  as  an  inherit- 
ance. Blessed  be  the  Lord,  Who  hallows  the 
Sabbath." 

Having   concluded   his   benedictions   the 
precentor  does  not  drink  from  the  cup,  but 


The  Sabbath  Service  69 

places  the  cup  upon  the  reading  desk  to  be 
handed  around  among  the  boys  attending 
the  services.  The  sanctification  of  the  day 
with  wine  takes  place,  on  the  eve  of  all 
sacred  days  except  on  fast  days,  in  congre- 
gations where  the  sanctification  (Kiddush) 
has  become  a  fixed  institution.  Although 
according  to  the  Talmud  *  the  "  Kiddush  " 
belonged  to  the  evening  meal  in  the  home, 
mi»D  Dipm  *6x  wwp  pa  the  institution  found 
its  way  into  the  public  devotion  of  the  syna- 
gogue. According  to  the  teachers  of  the 
third  century  the  synagogue  was  the  lodging 
place  for  strangers.  For  this  purpose  sepa- 
rate apartments  were  fitted  up.  In  order  to 
sanctify  the  day  with  the  proper  joy,  "  for 
it  is  the  wine  which  rejoiceth  the  heart  of 
man,"  the  Kiddush  was  instituted  at  the 
close  of  the  evening  service,  more  especially 
since  wine  was  no  doubt  not  served  at  the 
free  meals  with  which  strangers  were  sup- 
plied.    Although  the  House  of  Worship  is 

1  Pesachim  101,  a. 


yo  The  Sabbath  Service 

no  longer  devoted  to  giving  strangers  lodg- 
ing, the  Kiddush  has  nevertheless  been  re- 
tained in  many  synagogues. 

As  the  Sabbath  is  welcomed  with  a  special 
institution  in  the  synagogue,  so  it  is  con- 
cluded after  sunset  on  Saturday  upon  the 
appearance  of  three  stars  in  the  horizon. 
This  concluding  institution  bears  the  name 
"  Habdalah,"  separation,  distinction.  The 
"  Habdalah  "  has  been  preserved  in  all  syna- 
gogues, the  members  of  which  believe  in 
strict  adherence  to  the  Sabbath  law  as  laid 
down  by  the  Rabbis.  It  is  the  signal  to  the 
worshipper  that  he  may  again  attend  to  work 
as  indicated  in  the  Rabbinical  maxim, 
hmw  cmp  i^an  nwsp  di*6  6  tidn 

"  Man  is  forbidden  to  attend  to  his  needs  until  he 
has  conformed  to  the  '  Habdalah.'  "  2 

Originally  the  "  Habdalah  "  consisted  of 
the  interpolation  of  a  special  benediction  in 
the  body  of  the  evening  service,  but  later 
its  present  form  was  added. 

2  Sabbath  150,  a. 


The  Sabbath  Service  71 

The  "  Habdalah "  is  conducted  as  fol- 
lows :  Wine  is  poured  into  a  goblet  until  it 
overflows  into  the  saucer  beneath.  The 
goblet  is  then  lifted  up  by  the  precentor  with 
his  right  hand.  At  the  same  time  he  holds 
in  his  left  hand  a  box  containing  sweet  smell- 
ing spices,  while  the  sexton  or  some  young 
boy  in  attendance  at  the  services  holds  a 
burning  taper.  The  reader  begins  the  cere- 
mony by  intoning  the  words  : 

"  Behold,  God  is  my  salvation.  I  will  trust  and 
not  be  afraid,  for  the  Lord,  Yah,  is  my  strength  and 
my  song.  He  is  also  become  my  salvation,  and  ye 
shall  draw  water  with  joy  from  the  fountains  of 
salvation.  Salvation  is  with  the  Lord.  May  Thy 
blessing  be  on  Thy  people.  Selah.  The  Lord  of 
Hosts  is  with  us.  The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge. 
Selah.  The  Jews  were  once  favored  with  delight 
and  joy,  gladness  and  honor.  Thus  may  it  also 
be  with  us.  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation  and 
call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

Hereupon  follows  the  benediction  over 
the  goblet  of  wine : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Creator  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine." 

Putting  down  again  the  goblet  the  pre- 
centor recites  the  benediction  over  the  spices. 
It  reads : 


J2  The  Sabbath  Service 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  creates  diverse  species  of  spices." 

Opening  the  box  and  inhaling  some  of  the 

fragrance    the    precentor    proceeds    to    the 

blessing  over  the  light.     He  holds  his  hands 

over  the  burning  taper  and  says : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  creates  the  light  of  the  fire." 

Taking  the  burning  taper  from  him  who 

has  held  it,  the  precentor  extinguishes  it  with 

the  wine,  which  is  in  the  saucer,  and  while 

doing  so  says : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  made  a  distinction  between  things 
sacred  and  profane,  between  light  and  darkness,  be- 
tween Israel  and  other  nations,  between  the  seventh 
day  and  the  six  days  of  labor.  Blessed  be  the 
Lord,  Who  has  made  distinction  between  things 
sacred  and  profane." 

The  various  elements  of  the  Habdalah  are 

not   without   their    symbolical    significance. 

The  principal  meal  of  the  day  was  taken 

after  sundown.     Light  and  burning  incense 

marked  its  special  character.     These  could 

not  be  procured  on  the  Sabbath,  on  which 

the  use  of  fire  was  prohibited  in  the  words : 


The  Sabbath  Service  73 

"  Ye  shall  not  kindle  a  fire  in  your  dwell- 
ings," 3  and  therefore  had  to  be  enjoyed  upon 
the  conclusion  of  the  Sabbath.  To-day  the 
spice,  the  substitute  for  the  incense,  is  ac- 
cording to  some  teachers  made  to  stand  for 
the  pleasure  which  the  Sabbath  brings,  while 
the  light  is  to  remind  one  of  God's  creation 
on  the  first  day,  to  which  the  approaching 
day  of  the  week  corresponds.  The  overflow- 
ing of  the  cup  with  wine  is  symbolical  of  the 
dispensation  of  God's  unbounded  grace  for 
which  the  Jew  hopes.  The  placing  of  the 
hands  over  the  light  by  the  precentor,  when 
he  reaches  the  words  "  Between  light  and 
darkness,"  is  simply  to  illustrate  the  words 
by  showing  the  light  inside  of  the  hands  and 
the  shadow  outside  of  them. 

The  Habdalah  is  also  celebrated  at  the 
conclusion  of  holidays,  but  with  this  differ- 
ence, that  the  blessing  of  God  as  Creator  of 
the  light  is  omitted,  since  on  holidays,  ex- 
cepting the  Day  of  Atonement,  fire  could  be 

3  Ex.  35 :  3. 


74  The  Sabbath  Service 

handled.  On  the  night  of  the  Day  of  Atone- 
ment the  blessing  over  the  spices  is  omitted 
from  the  Habdalah,  unless  the  Day  of 
Atonement  happens  to  occur  on  a  Sabbath, 
in  which  case  all  four  blessings  are  recited. 
The  Habdalah  undergoes  a  change  also  if 
the  Sabbath  is  followed  by  the  ninth  day  of 
Ab,  a  fast  day  in  commemoration  of  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem.  In  this  event  only 
the  blessing  over  the  light  is  pronounced  on 
Saturday  night,  that  of  the  spices  is  omitted, 
and  the  remaining  two  blessings  are  recited 
Sunday  after  the  fast. 

The  goblets  used,  both  in  the  sanctifica- 
tion  and  the  conclusion  of  the  Sabbath,  are 
of  different  material  and  of  various  designs. 
The  more  costly  one  is  always  used  for  the 
sanctification.  The  goblets  are  in  the  shape 
of  either  cups  or  tumblers.  If  the  goblet  is 
of  silver,  it  is  as  a  rule  engraved  with 
Hebrew  characters. 

The  spice  boxes  used  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  Sabbath  also  differ  both  in  material  and 
design.    A  popular  box  is  one  made  of  cedar 


The  Sabbath  Service  75 

wood  said  to  be  imported  from  the  Lebanon. 
Boxes  of  this  kind  are  usually  inscribed  with 
the  Hebrew  for  "  Jerusalem."  If  the  box 
consists  of  silver  it  is  usually  in  the  form  of 
a  tower  with  a  silver  flag  flying  on  the  top. 
Spice  boxes  range  in  size  from  three  to 
twelve  inches.  The  collection  of  Jewish 
ceremonial  objects  at  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution at  the  United  States  National  Mu- 
seum in  Washington  contains  a  spice  bottle 
made  of  china  with  its  neck  in  oxidized 
silver.  The  taper  used  is  always  of  pure 
wax.  It  consists  either  of  one  piece  or 
three  pieces  twisted  together.  It  is  used 
either  with  or  without  a  candlestick,  but 
mostly  without  one.  It  must  be  kindled  by 
none  but  the  observing  Jew,  who  is  forbid- 
den to  touch  fire  on  the  Sabbath.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  two  institutions  there  are  no 
others  marking  the  services  on  the  Sabbath 
in  the  synagogue.  We  shall  now  treat  the 
institutions  marking  the  public  services  on 
holy  days  and  festive  seasons. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Passover,  Pentecost  and  the  Fasts. 

The  ceremonial  institutions  marking  the 
observance  of  Jewish  holidays  in  the  syna- 
gogue proper  constitute  the  subject  matter 
of  this  and  the  next  chapter.  The  occasion 
engaging  our  attention  first  is  "  Pesach," 
Passover,  as  it  is  the  first  festival  celebrated 
in  the  order  of  the  Jewish  calendar  months. 
Before  proceeding  to  a  description  of  its 
peculiar  public  observances,  a  word  on  the 
Jewish  religious  calendar  is  not  only  in  or- 
der, but  also  necessary.  I  call  the  calendar 
religious,  because  in  matters  non-religious, 
or  secular,  that  mode  of  reckoning  obtains 
among  Jews  which  their  non-Jewish  neigh- 
bors follow. 

The  Jewish  calendar  is  the  lunar  calendar. 
Every  month  consists  of  either  29  or  30 
days,  and  is  regulated  by  the  revolution  of 
the  moon  around  the  earth.  New  moon  al- 
ways  indicates  the  beginning  of  the  new 


78  Passover,  Pentecost 

month.  The  ordinary  year  consists  of  twelve 
lunar  months,  making  353,  354,  or  355 
days  in  all.  Noting  from  this  difference  be- 
tween the  lunar  year  and  the  solar  year  of 
365  days,  that  in  a  very  short  time  holidays 
would  be  shifted  very  far  from  their  ap- 
pointed season,  the  question  arises,  in  what 
way  is  this  difficulty  offset  ?  Seven  times  in 
every  cycle  of  19  years,  as  in  the  Metonic 
calendar,  provision  is  made  for  a  leap  year, 
by  the  addition  of  a  thirteenth  month.  The 
leap  years  are  the  third,  sixth,  eighth,  elev- 
enth, fourteenth,  seventeenth  and  nine- 
teenth of  every  cycle  of  nineteen  years.  The 
names  of  the  months,  which  are  of  Baby- 
lonian origin,  a  fact  to  which  the  Talmud 
testifies,  are  Nisan,  Iyar,  Sivan,  Tammuz, 
Ab,  Ellnl,  Tishri,  Heshvan,  Kislev,  Tebeth, 
Shebat,  Adar,  while  the  name  of  the  thir- 
teenth month  in  case  of  leap  year  is  Adar 
Sheni,  second  Adar.  The  first  month,  Ni- 
san, occurs  in  spring  and  begins  in  either 
March  or  April.  Nisan  is  made  the  first 
month  because  in  this  month  the  exode  from 


And  the  Fasts  79 

Egypt,  marking  the  beginning  of  Israel's 
national  life,  took  place.  The  Jewish  calen- 
dar is  so  arranged  that  the  first  day  of  the 
seventh  month,  Tishri,  cannot  fall  on  Sun- 
day, Wednesday  or  Friday  (in  order  to 
prevent  the  Day  of  Atonement  from  occur- 
ring on  Friday  or  Sunday,  because  the  prep- 
aration of  food  is  forbidden  on  the  Sab- 
bath), and  to  prevent  the  last  day  of  the 
Feast  of  Booths  from  happening  on  Satur- 
day. Whenever  the  beginning  of  Tishri 
threatens  to  fall  on  Sunday,  Wednesday  or 
Friday  a  day  is  added  to  the  passing  year 
and  taken  from  the  immediately  following 
one. 

In  the  earliest  times  great  difficulty  at- 
tached to  the  observance  of  holidays  on  the 
same  day  by  all  Jews,  but  the  difficulty  was 
easily  met.  The  new  moon  had  to  be  pro- 
claimed by  the  Synhedrin.  As  soon  as  two 
witnesses  testified  before  this  august  body 
to  the  appearance  of  the  new  moon  and  their 
testimony  was  found  to  be  based  on  fact,  the 
people  living  in  Palestine,  Syria  and  Baby- 


80  Passover,  Pentecost 

Ionia  were  notified  of  the  new  moon,  either 
by  messengers  or  fire  signals  given  on  top 
of  hills.  If  no  witnesses  were  found  to  tes- 
tify, the  day,  on  which  the  new  moon  was 
expected,  was  added  to  the  preceding  month. 
The  celebration  of  festivals  depended  alto- 
gether upon  the  proclamation  of  the  new 
moon  by  the  Synhedrin.  There  were,  how- 
ever, communities,  whom  word  could  not 
reach  in  time  for  the  observance  of  the 
month's  beginning,  which  was  celebrated  as 
a  half  holiday.  In  order  to  effect  simultane- 
ity of  observance  among  all  Jews,  those  liv- 
ing too  far  from  the  seat  of  the  Synhedrin 
to  be  informed  in  time,  celebrated  not  only 
two  days  as  the  beginning  of  the  month, 
namely,  the  last  day  of  the  passing  month 
and  the  first  day  of  the  coming  month,  but 
also  two  days  of  the  festive  seasons,  on 
which,  according  to  Scriptures,  a  holy  con- 
vocation was  ordered.  Rosh  Hashanah 
(the  first  day  of  the  7th  month,  the  day  of 
Memorial)  was  observed  even  by  Palestin- 
ean  Jews  for  two  days,  while  the  Day  of 


And  the  Fasts  8i 

Atonement  was  observed  everywhere  for 
only  one  day,  owing  to  the  strain  which 
fasting  produced  on  the  human  body.  In 
the  great  majority  of  congregations  the  cele- 
bration of  holidays  for  two  days  is  still  con- 
tinued although  unnecessary  since  the  for- 
mation of  an  exact  calendar.  Jews  have 
been  in  possession  of  a  correctly  computed 
calendar  since  the  middle  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, the  work  of  Hillel  II,  or  Hillel  the 
younger,  as  he  is  commonly  called. 

In  order  not  to  neglect  the  observance  of 
days  commanded  by  Jewish  law  every  mem- 
ber of  the  synagogue,  as  a  rule,  provides 
himself  with  a  calendar  every  year.  The 
Hebrew  equivalent  for  calendar  is  "  Luach," 
which  originally  denotes  "  table  "  or  "  tab- 
let." These  calendars  contain  not  only  the 
Hebrew  dates  and  the  corresponding  secular 
dates,  but  also  indicate  festivals  and  holy 
seasons,  and  the  sections  read  from  the 
scrolls  in  the  synagogue  on  the  various  Sab- 
baths of  the  year. 
6 


82  Passover,  Pentecost 

But  to  return  to  (Pesach)  Passover!  It 
is  the  holiday  celebrated  from  the  eve  of  the 
15th  of  Nisan  (either  March  or  April)  for 
seven  days  among  some  Jews,  and  for  eight 
days  among  most  of  them,  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  deliverance  of  ancient  Israel  from 
Egyptian  slavery.  It  is  known  by  the  name 
"  Feast  of  unleavened  bread,"  because  of  the 
absence  of  all  leaven  from  Jewish  homes 
and  the  use  of  only  the  unleavened  as  en- 
joined in  Exodus  12:  15;  13:  7;  and  other 
passages.  Only  the  first  and  seventh  days 
are  according  to  Scriptures  holy  convoca- 
tions, while  the  rest  are  half  holidays,  al- 
though, as  indicated  in  the  discussion  of  the 
Jewish  calendar,  the  second  and  the  addi- 
tional eighth  days  are  dignified  as  full  holi- 
days. According  to  the  Shulchan  Aruch,  the 
work  of  Joseph  Caro,  referred  to  before,  no 
mourning  addresses  are  to  be  delivered  dur- 
ing the  whole  month  of  Nisan,  on  account  of 
the  joy  which  should  mark  the  celebration 
of  Israel's  emancipation  from  slavery.  All 
fasting  was  also  interdicted,  with  the  excep- 


And  the  Fasts  83 

tion  of  the  fast  enjoined  upon  the  first  born 
males  on  the  day  preceding  Passover,  in 
commemoration  of  the  fact,  that  the  first 
born  Israelites  were  spared  the  10th  plague 
which  befell  Egypt.  If  the  eve  of  Passover 
happens  to  fall  on  Saturday  the  first  born 
fasts  on  Thursday  preceding. 

Passover  is  more  of  a  family  feast,  if  the 
number  of  ceremonial  institutions  deter- 
mines its  character.  In  the  synagogue 
proper  there  are  very  few  special  features 
to  be  observed  in  addition  to  the  reading  of 
psalms  of  thanksgiving  and  glorification,  in- 
corporated into  the  regular  service  or  taking 
the  place  of  a  part  of  it.  During  the  fore- 
noon, in  the  additional  service  of  the  first 
day  of  Passover,  which  follows  immediately 
upon  the  return  of  the  scrolls  to  the  ark,  the 
prayer  for  rain  recited  during  the  entire 
autumn  and  winter,  beginning  with  the 
"  Feast  of  Assembly  "  to  be  spoken  of  later, 
is  discontinued,  and  the  prayer  for  dew  is 
inserted  in  its  place.  The  reading  of  these 
prayers  is,  as  may  be  readily  seen,  based 


84  Passover,  Pentecost 

altogether  upon  Palestinean  climatic  condi- 
tions, and  hardly  upon  conditions  obtaining 
in  other  countries. 

A  custom  worthy  of  note,  which  is  begun 
immediately  after  the  evening  service  on 
the  eve  of  the  second  day  of  Passover,  and 
continued  until  the  Feast  of  Weeks,  namely 
for  50  days,  is  the  counting  of  the  Omer. 
An  Omer  is  a  measure  about  the  size  of  a 
half  of  a  gallon.  It  contained  the  first  fruit 
brought  by  the  ancient  Israelites  as  an  of- 
fering to  the  priest,  when,  as  pilgrims,  they 
came  to  Jerusalem  on  this  feast.  The  insti- 
tution of  counting  is  based  on  the  following : 

"  And  ye  shall  count  unto  you  from  the  morrow, 
after  the  Sabbath,  from  the  day  that  ye  brought  the 
sheaf  of  the  wave  offering,  seven  Sabbaths  shall  ye 
complete;  even  unto  the  morrow,  after  the  seventh 
Sabbath,  shall  ye  number  fifty  days."  1 

The  counting  is  preceded  by  a  blessing, 

which  reads : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord  .  .  .  Who  has  sanctified  us 
by  His  commandments,  and  has  commanded  us  to 
count  the  days  of  the  Omer." 

1  Lev.  23 :  15,  16. 


And  the  Fasts  85 

The  manner  of  counting  is  as  follows : 
"  This  day  is  the day  since  the  Omer." 

After  seven  days  the  number  of  weeks  in 
the  Omer  is  also  specified.  The  days  of 
counting  are  called  the  "  Sefirah."  During 
this  time  Jews  do  not  marry  or  give  ban- 
quets, as  it  is  a  season  replete  with  sad 
memories.  Massacres  of  Jews  took  place 
at  this  time  during  both  the  reign  of  the 
Emperor  Hadrian  and  the  Crusades.  The 
33d  day  of  the  Omer,  the  18th  of  Iyar,  is, 
however,  excepted.  Joyous  occasions  may 
be  celebrated  at  this  time,  as  according  to 
tradition  a  plague  which  raged  among  the 
disciples  of  Rabbi  Akibah  (135  B.  C),  was 
on  that  day  stayed.  In  some  congregations 
a  tablet  is  suspended  from  the  wall  of  the 
synagogue  indicating  the  exact  day  of  the 
Omer  season. 

Before  closing  the  subject  of  Passover  it 
should  be  stated  that  on  it  the  "  Song  of 
Songs  "  is  read,  owing  to  the  verse :  "  Be- 
hold the  winter  is  gone."  2 

■  Can.  2 :  15. 


86  Passover,  Pentecost 

Whereas  this  verse  calls  attention  to  the 
passing  of  winter,  the  book  of  Canticles,  as 
a  whole,  is  regarded  a  love  song  fittingly 
commemorating  and  symbolizing  the  be- 
trothal of  Israel  to  God. 

On  the  6th  day  of  the  3d  month,  called 
Sivan,  occurring  either  in  May  or  June,  Jews 
celebrate  a  feast,  which  according  to  Deut- 
eronomy 3  is  called  "  Feast  of  Weeks,"  be- 
cause occurring  at  the  expiration  of  seven 
full  weeks  after  the  second  day  of  Passover. 
In  Lev.  23 :  16  it  is  identified  with  the  50th 
day  of  the  counting  of  the  Omer.  It  is  ac- 
cording to  Ex.  23  :  16,  the  Feast  of  the  early 
harvest  gathered  in  Palestine,  on  which  day 
the  offering  of  the  first  fruit  had  to  be 
brought  to  Jerusalem.  This  custom  of 
bringing  the  offering  of  the  first  fruit  has 
been  replaced  in  many  an  occidental  syna- 
gogue by  decorating  the  Jewish  house  of 
worship  with  trees,  plants,  and  flowers.  The 
Feast  of  Weeks  is  known  also  by  the  name 
"  Day  of  the  Giving  of  the  Law,"  because 

3  Deut.  16 :  10. 


And  the  Fasts  &? 

of  an  existing  tradition  to  the  effect  that  the 
revelation  of  God's  word  to  Israel  at  Mount 
Sinai  took  place  on  the  6th  day  of  the  3d 
month.  Often  termed  the  marriage  anni- 
versary of  Israel  to  God,  a  great  portion  of 
the  modern  European  and  American  Syna- 
gogue has  selected  this  day  as  the  time,  on 
which  young  men  and  women  are  confirmed, 
or  formally  accepted  as  active  members  of 
their  faith.  In  addition  to  selected  holiday 
prayers  and  chants  the  day  is  not  celebrated 
by  distinct  ceremonies.  The  Biblical  scroll 
read  on  this  festival  is  the  book  of  Ruth,  be- 
cause it  tells  of  Ruth's  acceptance  of  the  true 
faith  and  the  harvest  of  the  first  fruits  in  the 
fields  of  Boaz. 

In  many  congregations,  the  night  preced- 
ing the  Feast  of  Weeks  is  observed  in  the 
school  rooms  of  the  synagogue  by  a  watch, 
during  which,  passages  from  the  scriptures 
and  Talmudical  books  are  recited.  This  in- 
stitution has  its  origin  in  the  three  days' 
preparation  which  was  enjoined  upon  an- 


88  Passover,  Pentecost 

cient  Israel.4  A  similar  watch  is  held  the 
7th  night  of  the  Fea^l  of  Tabernacles,  to  be 
explained  later.  The  watch  in  most  cases 
includes  a  repast.  During  the  middle  ages 
the  Feast  of  Weeks  was  the  occasion,  on 
which  every  male  child  at  5  years  of  age 
and  at  a  later  age,  if  physically  weak,  was  in- 
troduced to  school  life.  He  was  given  his 
first  lesson  in  Hebrew,  and  in  the  synagogue 
was  offered  the  opportunity  of  hearing  the 
ten  commandments  read  from  the  scroll, 
which  constitutes  a  part  of  the  day's  scrip- 
tural section.5 

On  the  17th  of  the  fourth  month,  Tam- 
muz,  a  fast  day  is  observed  in  the  syna- 
gogues conforming  to  Rabbinical  law,  in 
commemoration  of  the  breach  made  in  the 
wall  of  Jerusalem.  Another  fast  is  cele- 
brated on  the  9th  of  the  fifth  month,  Ab,  in 
memory  of  the  destruction  of  both  the  first 
and  second  Temples.  During  the  three 
weeks  intervening  between  these  two  fasts, 

4  Ex.  19:  10-12. 

5  Jewish  Life  in  Middle  Ages,  p.  348. 


And  the  Fasts  89 

many  Jew?  abstain  from  pleasure  and  the  use 
of  meat  in  their  diet.  Some  impose  this 
restriction  upon  themselves  only  during  the 
eight  days  immediately  preceding  the  9th  of 
Ab.  The  fast  of  Tammuz,  like  all  other 
fasts,  except  the  Day  of  Atonement,  com- 
mences at  daybreak,  but  the  fast  of  Ab  lasts, 
like  the  Day  of  Atonement,  for  twenty-four 
hours,  from  evening  until  evening.  The 
restrictions,  which  the  Jew  puts  on  himself 
on  these  occasions,  are  endured  as  a  mark 
of  his  mourning  over  the  downfall  of  the 
holy  city.  These  two  fasts  are  ignored  in  a 
number  of  synagogues,  because  their  con- 
stituents view  the  downfall  of  Jerusalem  as 
an  opportunity  given  to  Israel  to  fulfil  its 
mission,  although  the  memory  of  Jerusalem 
is  cherished  by  all  Jews.  During  the  day 
of  these  two  fasts  various  elegies  are  recited. 
On  the  fast  of  Ab,  the  book  of  Lamentations 
is  the  scroll  designated  for  reading  in  the 
synagogue. 

We  may  here  mention  some  of  the  other 
fasts,  observed  by  a  great  many  Jews,  and 


90    Passover,  Pentecost  and  Fasts 

the  reasons  for  their  celebration.  They  are 
the  Fast  of  Gedaliah  on  the  third  day  of  the 
seventh  month,  Tishri  (celebrated  on  ac- 
count of  the  murder  of  Gedaliah,  Governor 
of  Jerusalem) ;  the  Fast  of  Tebeth,  on  the 
tenth  day  of  the  tenth  month,  Tebeth  (in 
memory  of  the  commencement  of  the  siege 
of  Jerusalem) ;  and  the  Fast  of  Esther,  on 
the  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  month, 
Adar,  or  in  case  of  leap  year  the  thirteenth 
day  of  the  thirteenth  month,  Adar  Sheni 
(in  commemoration  of  the  contemplated 
slaughter  of  the  Jews  of  Persia). 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Tishri  Holidays  and  the  Half 
Holidays 
We  now  approach  the  study  of  the  most 
important  days  for  modern  Jews.  They  are 
those  from  the  first  to  the  tenth  day  of  the 
seventh  month,  Tishri.  Taken  together  they 
are  known  as  "  Yamim  Noraim,"  solemn 
days,  and  "  Asereth  Y'me  Teshubah,"  ten 
days  of  Penitence.  Their  purpose  is  to 
prompt  the  Jew  to  self-examination  and  to 
reconciliation  with  God.  The  first  of  these 
days  is  called  "  Rosh  Hashanah,"  New 
Year — a  name  the  Biblical  writers  do  not 
know.  In  the  Bible1  it  is  termed  "  Yom 
Teruah,"  day  of  blowing  the  alarm,  and 
"  Zichron  Teruah,"  memorial  of  blowing  the 
alarm.  The  terms  "  Day  of  Memorial  "  and 
"  Day  of  Judgment  "  are  also  applied  to  this 
day.     It  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  explain 

'Numb.  29:  i. 


92  The  Tishri  Holidays 

how  the  first  of  the  seventh  month  instead  of 
the  first  day  of  the  first  month  served  as  the 
beginning  of  the  New  Year.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  that  the  first  of  Tishri  was  in  many 
respects  the  commencement  of  the  year.  In 
this  month  the  Jubilee  year  began,  slaves 
were  emancipated  and  landed  property  re- 
verted to  its  original  owner. 

The  most  prominent  feature  in  the  pub- 
lic devotion  of  the  synagogue  consists  of  the 
blowing  of  the  ram's  horn.  Long  before  the 
arrival  of  the  festival  its  notes  are  heard. 
The  whole  of  the  preceding  month  (Ellul) 
is  regarded  a  month  of  preparation.  "  Seli- 
choth,"  special  prayers  for  forgiveness  of 
sin  and  the  blowing  of  the  Shofar  mark  the 
preparation.  This  month  of  preparation 
takes  its  character  from  a  well-known  tradi- 
tion. It  is  reported,  that  on  the  first  of  Ellul 
Moses  ascended  Mt.  Sinai  for  the  third  time 
and  returned  on  the  tenth  of  Tishri,  with  the 
assurance  of  God's  pardon  to  Israel.  While 
in  Biblica1  times  the  Shofar  was  used  for  all 
sorts  of  announcements,  like  that  of  New 


And  the  Half  Holidays  93 

Moon  and  festivals,  the  year  of  release,  the 
call  to  battle,  as  signal  of  victory,  and  as  an 
instrument  in  processions,  its  purpose  on  this 
holiday  is  to  rouse  Jews  to  the  serious  con- 
templation of  their  sinfulness  and  their  duty 
to  lead  a  godly  life.  Saadya,  a  teacher  of  the 
tenth  century,  holds,  that  the  Shofar  re- 
minds Jews  of  the  creation,  their  duty  to 
God,  the  revelation  on  Mt.  Sinai,  the  teach- 
ings of  the  prophets,  the  destruction  of  the 
Temple,  the  binding  of  Isaac  as  a  sacrifice, 
imminent  danger,  the  Day  of  Judgment,  the 
redemption  of  Israel,  and  the  resurrection. 

The  Shofar  is  made  of  a  ram's  horn  flat- 
tened-by  heat.  It  is  always  crooked  and  is 
finished  with  a  mouth-piece.  It  is  absolutely 
devoid  of  all  decorations. 

The  Shofar  is  blown  for  the  first  time  on 
New  Year  before  the  scrolls  are  returned  to 
the  ark  and  is  preceded  by  the  following 
benedictions : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  His  command- 
ments, and  commanded  us  to  hear  the  sound  of  the 
Shofar. 


K 


94  The  Tishri  Holidays 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  kept  us  alive,  sustained  us  and 
caused  us  to  enjoy  this  season." 

There  are  four  kinds  of  sounds  produced 

by  the  Shofar : 

(a)  Tekiah — the  unbroken  sound. 

(b)  Shebarim — the  broken  sound. 

(c)  Teruah — the  wave-like  sound. 

(d)  The  long  Tekiah — the  prolonged  un- 
broken sound. 

These  four  sounds  are  arranged  in  three 
sets  of  blasts. 

The  first  is  Tekiah,  Shebarim,  Teruah; 
sounded  three  times  in  succession. 

The  second  is  Tekiah,  Shebarim,  Tekiah; 
also  sounded  three  times  in  succession. 

The  third  is  Tekiah,  Teruah,  Tekiah; 
sounded  three  times,  with  this  exception, 
that  the  last  Tekiah  is  the  prolonged  Tekiah. 

After  every  set  of  blasts  a  pause  follows, 
during  which  devotional  reflections  are  re- 
cited. The  first  of  these  sets  of  blasts  is 
directed  to  the  angel  Sharshia,  the  second  to 
the  angel  Tartiel,  and  after  the  third  set  all 
angels  are  implored  to  help  worshippers  to 


Different  Sizes  of  Shofar   (Ram's  Horn) 


And  the  Half  Holidays  95 

become  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Shofar's  sounds.  The  doctrine 
with  regard  to  these  angels  was  introduced 
by  the  Kabbalists  and  is  not  Jewish. 

In  the  Mussaf  services,  the  service  follow- 
ing the  return  of  the  scrolls  to  the  ark,  there 
are  again  three  sets  of  blasts  with  prayers 
intervening  between  the  first  and  second,  and 
the  second  and  third  sets  of  blasts.  If  the 
first  day  of  the  New  Year  occurs  on  the  Sab- 
bath the  Shofar  is  not  sounded,  owing  to  the 
labor  it  entails.  The  blowing  then  takes 
place  only  on  the  second  day.  In  some  con- 
gregations, where  New  Year  is  celebrated 
for  one  day  only,  the  ritual  provides  for  the 
blowing  of  the  Shofar,  even  on  Sabbath.2 

The  person  blowing  the  Shofar  must  per- 
form this  service  standing  on  the  bema  of 
the  synagogue.  The  Shofar  when  blown  is 
held  in  the  right  hand,  with  the  opening, 
from  which  the  sound  issues,  turned  up- 
ward. In  addition  to  the  month  of  Ellul 
and  New  Year,  the  Shofar  is  sounded  at  the 

2  Szold-Jastrow  Ritual. 


96  The  Tishri  Holidays 

close  of  the  Day  of  Atonement.  Among  the 
Portuguese  Jews  it  is  then  sounded  four 
times,  and  among  others  but  once.  And 
finally  it  is  sounded  on  the  seventh  day  of 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  at  each  of  the 
seven  circuits  made  around  the  synagogue. 
One  word  more  about  the  Jewish  New 
Year.  On  New  Year,  as  well  as  on  the  sub- 
sequent holy  day,  the  worshippers,  in  the 
most  conservative  synagogues,  wear  their 
burial  shrouds  as  an  incentive  to  sincere  re- 
pentance, for  it  helps  to  remind  people  of 
their  mortality  and  the  uncertainty  of  life. 
•  In  addition  to  fasting,  the  special  confes- 
sions of  guilt,  and  the  petitions  for  forgive- 
ness, there  is  but  one  peculiar  ceremonial 
institution  marking  the  observance  of  the 
Day  of  Atonement.  The  institution  referred 
to  consists  of  the  kindling  of  a  large  wax 
taper  by  every  member  of  the  congregation 
near  the  bema  of  the  synagogue  or  at  the 
seats  of  worshippers  in  memory  of  departed 
dear  ones.  The  taper  is  always  large  enough 
to  burn  the  entire  twenty-four  hours  of  the 


And  the  Half  Holidays  97 

fast.  The  reason  for  the  kindling  of  the 
taper  lies  in  the  comparison  the  Bible  makes 
between  the  soul  of  man,  in  the  immortality 
of  which  the  Jew  believes,  and  a  lamp  or 
light. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of 
the  Feast  of  Booths  occurring  on  the  fif- 
teenth day  of  the  seventh  month,  Tishri.  It 
is  observed  for  seven  days,  the  first  day 
alone  being  a  holy  convocation,  while  the 
remaining  six  days  are  half  holidays.  It  is 
instituted  in  memory  of  the  dwelling  of  the 
children  of  Israel  in  booths  when  they  jour- 
neyed through  the  wilderness.3  Being  a 
harvest  festival,  the  Feast  of  Booths  is  ob- 
served in  the  synagogue  by  songs  of  praise, 
the  decoration  of  the  synagogue  with  plants 
and  fruits,  more  especially  by  the  use  of  "  the 
palm  branch,"  "  Lulab  "  and  the  "  citron," 
"  Ethrog."  The  preparation  of  the  palm 
branch  is  based  on  the  passage : 

"And  ye  shall  take  unto  you  on  the  first  day  the 
fruit  of  the  goodly  tree,  branches  of  palm  trees,  and 

8  Lev.  23:  43. 
7 


98  The  Tishri  Holidays 

boughs  of  thick  leaved  trees,  and  willows  of  the 
brook,  and  ye  shall  rejoice  before  the  Lord  your  God 
seven  days."  4 

The  palm  branch  is  decorated  at  the 
lower  part  with  myrtle  and  willow  branches, 
attached  to  the  palm  branch  by  means  of 
leaves  of  the  palm  tree.  When  the  palm 
branch  and  citron  are  picked  up  the  benedic- 
tion recited  is : 

(t  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  His  command- 
ments and  commanded  us  the  use  of  the  palm 
branch." 

On  the  first  day  is  added  the  benediction, 
in  which  God  is  thanked  for  having  spared 
the  worshipper  to  enjoy  this  season.  Not 
only  the  precentor  but  many  a  layman  is 
provided  with  a  lulab  and  ethrog.  The  palm 
branch  and  the  citron  are  lifted  up  in  full 
view  of  the  congregation  during  the  rendition 
of  psalms  of  praise  and  the  recitation  of  a 
prayer  for  God's  redemption,  taking  place 
while  a  circuit  is  made  around  the  synagogue. 
On  Sabbath  the  lulab  is  not  taken  up,  as  the 

4  Lev.  23  :  40. 


1    I 'aim  Branch 


2  Citron  Receptacle   (Silver) 


And  the  Half  Holidays  99 

carrying  of  it  is  regarded  a  form  of  work, 
desecrating  the  day.  The  Karaites  do  not 
give  the  lulab  a  place  in  the  synagogal  service, 
but  believe  that  it  is  to  be  used  in  the  building 
of  the  "  Succah,"  Booth. 

In  some  synagogues  a  booth  is  erected, 
similar  to  that  met  in  the  Jewish  home.  We 
shall  not  speak  of  the  booth  in  this  connec- 
tion, as  its  discussion  has  its  proper  place 
among  the  ceremonial  institutions,  charac- 
terizing the  Jewish  home,  to  be  taken  up 
later. 

The  last  day  of  the  Feast  of  Booths  is 
called  "  Hoshana  Rabba,"  because  on  this 
day  numerous  petitions  for  the  salvation  of 
Israel  are  recited.  During  the  intoning  of 
these  petitions,  the  worshippers  make  seven 
circuits  around  the  auditorium  of  the  syna- 
gogue. Among  Portuguese  Jews  the  Sho- 
far  is  sounded  on  this  day,  as  if  to  give 
those,  who  have  not  become  thoroughly 
reconciled  with  God  on  the  Atonement  Day, 
a  last  opportunity  of  repentance  before  the 
final  judgment  of  God  is  sealed.     It  is  on 


ioo  The  Tishri  Holidays 

the  eve  of  this  festival  that  a  watch  takes 
place,  similar  to  the  one  held  on  the  eve  of 
the  Feast  of  Weeks. 

On  "  Shemini  Atzereth,"  the  Feast  of  As- 
sembly, celebrated  on  the  22d  day  of  the 
seventh  month,  Tishri,  no  special  ceremo- 
nial institution,  except  the  reading  of  the 
scroll  of  Ecclesiastes,  marks  the  public  ser- 
vice. The  day  following,  however,  the  23d 
day  of  the  seventh  month,  known  as  "  Sim- 
chath  Torah,"  "  Feast  of  Rejoicing  Over  the 
Law,"  is  characterized  by  an  elaborate  insti- 
tution. The  feast  is  post-Biblical  in  origin 
and  was  not  a  fixed  institution  until  the  an- 
nual cycle  of  Pentateuchal  reading  from  the 
scrolls  was  firmly  established.  As  has  been 
mentioned  in  the  first  chapter,  the  last  sec- 
tion of  Deuteronomy  is  read  on  this  day 
from  one  scroll  and  the  first  section  of  Gen- 
esis from  another.  The  privileges  of  recit- 
ing the  customary  benedictions  over  the 
last  sub-section,  read  from  the  first  scroll, 
and  over  the  first  sub-section,  read  from  the 
second,   are   prized  as   precious   privileges 


And  the  Half  Holidays        ioi 

and  hence  eagerly  sought.  The  two  per- 
sons who  procure  these  privileges,  often  at 
the  expense  of  rich  offerings  to  the  congre- 
gational treasury,  are  respectively  titled 
"  Chasan  Torah,"  Bridegroom  of  the  Law, 
and  "  Chasan  Bereshith,"  Bridegroom  of 
Genesis.  In  many  congregations,  where 
this  day  is  still  observed,  these  two  Bride- 
grooms often  tender  their  fellow  worship- 
pers a  repast.  On  the  Day  of  Rejoicing 
Over  the  Law  special  inducements  are  held 
out  to  the  younger  members  of  the  congre- 
gation to  participate  actively  in  the  public 
service.  Carrying  flags  with  burning  tapers, 
young  boys  will,  on  the  eve  of  the  day,  join 
the  procession  in  which  all  the  scrolls  owned 
by  the  congregation  are  carried  around  the 
auditorium  of  the  synagogue.  As  the  proces- 
sion moves  through  the  auditorium  women 
throw  nuts  and  raisins  from  the  galleries  on 
the  men  and  boys  marching  below.  While 
the  scrolls  are  out  of  the  ark  a  burning  taper 
is  usually  put  into  it.  In  some  communities 
it  is  customary  to  call  even  young  boys,  who 


102  The  Tishri  Holidays 

have  not  yet  attained  the  age  of  religious 
majority,  to  the  bema  to  recite  the  benedic- 
tions over  a  sub-section  of  the  Pentateuchal 
festive  portion. 

Beginning  with  the  25th  day  of  the  ninth 
month,  Kislev,  Jews  celebrate  for  eight 
days  "  Chanukkah,"  Feast  of  Dedication,  in 
commemoration  of  the  defeat  of  Antiochus 
Epiphanes  and  the  re-dedication  of  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem  by  Judas  Maccabeus 
( 164  B.  C. )  •  It  is  called  also  "  Feast  of  the 
Asmoneans."  It  is  celebrated  by  kindling 
on  every  evening  of  the  feast,  beginning 
with  the  eve  of  the  first  day,  wax  tapers  or 
lamps.  On  the  eve  of  the  first  day  one 
light  is  kindled.  The  number  of  lights 
steadily  increases  until  the  eighth  day  is 
reached,  the  number  always  corresponding 
to  the  ordinal  number  of  the  day  celebrated. 
A  separate  taper  is  used  for  the  kindling  of 
the  lights  and  bears  the  name  "  Shammash," 
servant.  In  the  Talmud  there  is  a  discus- 
sion as  to  whether  the  number  of  lights 
should  increase  or  decrease  from  day  to  day. 


And  the  Half  Holidays        103 

Hillel  believes  in  the  increase  and  Sham- 
mai  in  the  decrease.  For  the  kindling  of 
such  tapers  every  congregation  possesses  a 
candelabrum  made  either  of  burnished  brass 
or  silver.  The  ceremony  of  kindling  lights  is 
based  on  a  tradition,  which  tells  that  when 
the  Temple  was  cleansed  by  Judas  Macca- 
beus of  all  debris,  he  found  a  cruse  of  oil, 
hermetically  closed  with  the  high  priest's 
seal,  the  size  of  which  indicated  that  there 
would  be  sufficient  oil  in  it  to  last  merely  for 
a  day,  whereas  it  miraculously  lasted  for 
eight  days.  On  lighting  the  Chanukkah 
lights  the  following  benedictions  are  recited  : 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  His  command- 
ments and  has  commanded  us  to  kindle  the  lights  of 
Chanukkah." 

"  Praised  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  wrought  miracles  for  our  fathers  in 
days  of  old  at  this  season." 

On   the  first   night   a   third   benediction, 

consisting   of   thanks    to    God    for   having 

spared  the  worshipper  in  health  and  life,  is 

added. 


104  The  Tishri  Holidays 

After  the  lighting  of  the  tapers  or  lamps, 
a  hymn  of  praise  is  sung,  dwelling  upon  the 
frequent  intercession  of  God's  help  in  the 
time  of  Israel's  early  oppression. 

Purim,  rendered  according  to  Biblical 
etymology  "  Feast  of  Lots,"  and  celebrated 
on  the  14th  day  of  the  twelfth  month,  Adar, 
and  in  case  of  leap  year  on  the  14th  day  of 
the  thirteenth  month,  has  its  public  service 
in  the  synagogue  marked  by  the  reading  of 
the  book  of  Esther  both  on  the  eve  and 
morning  of  the  holiday. 

The  book  of  Esther  is  not  read  on  this 
occasion  from  an  ordinary  text  of  the  Old 
Testament,  but  from  a  parchment  scroll, 
which  is  called  "  Megillah,"  the  scroll. 

The  Megillah  must  be  carefully  written 
on  the  skin  of  a  clean  animal,  by  a  Jewish 
Scribe,  with  good  ink,  and  not  printed,  al- 
though printed  copies  are  in  existence  and 
are  used  by  members  of  the  congregation, 
while  following  the  reading  of  the  precen- 
tor, who  invariably  has  before  him  a  parch- 
ment scroll.      The  names  of  the   Sons   of 


i' 


j 


V  '■'  i'  j  v  " 

KJ- 

:|  £.S*i-| 

itfefcii 

l  SI  Iff; 

aG*~ 

af  Tg^-ij 

"  (i  :> 

^iH^^^i:: 

s  '■  £  r    !   [   v  p  S-' 

r    f!  «-!  F   £  «'- 

Jf'r. 

|£|*£  -gt|B  0J|l 

P  r  £  1  F  r?  ft     |  F  ! 

!rrH'?iM:[: 

\\\[?U 

>  }'  f! 

s-f-6'pf»ft  p  g"i 

(i-vvfU 

;rt*a$?fcf?T 

Hl;U? 

^lll^flwi 

f   r    r     j.     I '  f 

'  \\  h  u  H  '{'.  f  \\  r  i    P : 

"■  11   ft    Y    " 

if  Mi  I 

•  Hi  tffl  Iif  IV; 

\iU$ 

I J 


t-psj 


6  ITPf! 


Pli 


And  the  Half  Holidays        105 

Haman  must  be  written  on  separate  lines, 
one  below  the  other. 

The  book  of  Esther  is  chanted  in  a  mel- 
ody unlike  that  characterizing  the  reading 
of  the  scrolls  of  the  law  or  the  selections 
from  the  prophets.  The  recitation  of  Esther 
by  heart  is  forbidden,  however  well  ac- 
quainted the  precentor  may  be  with  the 
book.  The  precentor  is  compelled  to  have 
the  text  before  him.  While  everybody  is 
in  duty  bound  to  read  the  book  of  Esther 
for  himself,  persons  not  understanding  He- 
brew are  considered  as  having  performed 
their  obligation,  if  they  simply  listen  to  its 
reading.  Before  the  reading  of  the  book  of 
Esther,  these  blessings  are  recited  : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  by  His  command- 
ments, and  has  commanded  us  to  read  the  Megillah." 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  wrought  miracles  for  our  fathers 
in  days  of  old." 

On  the  eve  of  Purim  every  worshipper 
puts  his  contribution  toward  charity  into  a 
plate  or  basket  placed  into  the  synagogue 


106  The  Tishri  Holidays 

for  collection.  The  money  thus  procured  is 
in  some  communities  given  to  the  precen- 
tor as  a  remuneration  for  his  reading.  Both 
Chanukkah  and  Purim  are  in  many  syna- 
gogues made  festivals  for  young  people, 
and  hence  are  celebrated  by  the  presenta- 
tion of  plays  dealing  with  the  facts  of  the 
Chanukkah  and  Purim  stories. 

Such  are  in  the  main  the  ceremonial  insti- 
tutions, which  we  note  during  the  public  de- 
votion in  the  synagogue  on  the  different 
occasions  of  the  year. 


CHAPTER  VI 
Customs  in  the  Home 
The  Jewish  home  is  permeated  by  a 
marked  religious  atmosphere.  The  injunc- 
tion to  speak  when  sitting  in  one's  house  of 
the  things  God  commanded  has  been  put  into 
execution  almost  literally.  From  the  time 
the  Jew  takes  possesson  of  a  house  he  ex- 
pects to  make  his  residence,  one  ceremonial 
institution  after  another  is  made  to  declare 
the  religion  of  the  occupants.  In  compliance 
with  the  Biblical  passage,  "  Thou  shalt  write 
them  (the  words  of  the  law)  upon  the  door 
posts  of  thy  house  and  upon  thy  gates,"  1  we, 
as  a  rule,  find  upon  the  upper  part  of  the 
right  post  of  doors,  leading  into  the  residence 
of  a  Jew,  and  of  doors,  leading  into  every 
room  of  such  residence,  a  small  wooden, 
glass,  or  metal  tube  varying  from  two  to  six 
inches  in  length.    This  tube  or  case  is  known 

1  Deut.  6 :  9. 


108  Customs  in  the  Home 

by  the  name  '^Mezuzah/'  literally  meaning 
"  door  post,"  and  secondarily  signifying  ob- 
ject fixed  to  door  post.  It  is  always  attached 
in  a  slanting  position.  The  tube  or  case  con- 
tains a  small  parchment  scroll,  made  of  the 
skin  of  a  clean  animal.  The  rules  governing 
the  writing  of  the  paragraphs  in  the  Mezuzah 
are  the  same  as  those  to  be  observed  in  the 
writing  of  the  scrolls  and  phylacteries.  The 
passages  contained  in  the  Mezuzah  are : 

"Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God,  the  Lord  is 
one. 

And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord,  thy  God,  with  all 
thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  might. 

And  these  words  which  I  command  thee,  this  day 
shall  be  in  thy  heart. 

And  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy 
children,  speaking  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thy 
house,  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  when  thou 
liest  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up. 

And  thou  shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon  thy  hand 
and  they  shall  be  as  frontlets  between  thine  eyes. 

And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  posts  of  the 
house  and  upon  thy  gates."  a 

The  second  section  reads  : 

2  Deut.  6 :  4-9. 


1   Mezuzoth 


2  Mozuzah  Scroll 


Customs  in  the  Home  109 


"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  if  ye  shall  hearken  dili- 
gently unto  my  commandments,  which  I  command 
you  this  day,  to  love  the  Lord,  your  God,  and  to 
serve  him  with  all  your  heart,  and  with  all  your  soul, 

That  I  will  give  you  the  rain  of  your  land  in  its 
due  season,  the  first  rain  and  the  latter  rain,  that  thou 
mayest  gather  in  thy  corn  and  thy  wine  and  thine  oil. 

And  I  will  send  grass  in  thy  fields  for  thy  cattle, 
that  thou  mayest  eat  and  be  satisfied. 

Take  heed  that  your  heart  be  not  deceived  and  ye 
turn  aside  and  serve  other  gods,  and  worship  them : 

And  then  the  Lord's  wrath  be  kindled  against  you 
and  he  shut  up  the  heaven,  that  there  be  no  rain  and 
that  the  land  yield  not  her  fruit,  and  lest  ye  perish 
quickly  from  off  the  good  land  which  the  Lord  giveth 
you. 

Therefore  shall  ye  lay  up  these,  my  words,  in  your 
heart,  and  in  your  soul,  and  bind  them  for  a  sign 
upon  your  hand  that  they  may  be  as  frontlets  between 
your  eyes. 

And  ye  shall  teach  them  to  your  children,  speaking 
of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thy  house,  when  thou 
walkest  by  the  way,  when  thou  liest  down  and  when 
thou  risest  up. 

And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  door  posts  of 
thine  house  and  upon  thy  gates."  3 

After  the  parchment  has  been  finished,  it 

is  rolled  up  and  put  into  the  tube  or  case, 

which  has  a  small  opening,   revealing  the 

word  *i&  "  Almighty,"  written  on  the  back 

of  the  parchment. 

3  Deut.  11 :  13-20. 


no  Customs  in  the  Home 

The  Mezuzah  must  be  examined  periodi- 
cally in  order  to  ascertain  whether  it  is  in 
good  condition.  If  the  ink  has  faded  the 
Mezuzah  should  be  replaced  by  another. 
When  the  Mezuzah  is  attached  to  the  door 
post  a  benediction  is  recited,  praising  God 
for  having  enjoined  the  law  with  reference 
to  this  institution. 

A  number  of  Jews,  upon  passing  through 
a  gate-way  adorned  with  a  Mezuzah,  are  in 
the  habit  of  touching  the  Mezuzah  with  the 
hand  and  then  kissing  the  hand,  as  a  mark  of 
respect.  In  the  east  there  are  Jewish  homes 
which  have  Mezuzoth  containing  the  whole 
decalogue.  A  similar  custom  obtains  among 
Mohammedans  who  inscribe  their  doors  and 
windows  with  passages  from  the  Koran. 

The  object  of  the  Mezuzah  is  to  remind 
Jews  of  the  need  of  sanctifying  the  home  by 
means  of  religious  teachings,  so  as  to  keep 
the  home  unpolluted  from  all  evil.  The 
Mezuzah  is  undoubtedly  an  amulet  and  forci- 
bly recalls  the  protecting  charm  possessed  by 


Customs  in  the  Home  hi 

the  door  posts  of  the  ancient  Israelites  in 

Egypt,  as  we  read : 

"  And  ye  shall  take  a  bunch  of  hyssop  and  dip  it  in 
the  blood  that  is  in  the  basin  and  strike  the  lintel  and 
the  two  side  posts  with  the  blood  that  is  in  the  basin, 
and  none  of  you  shall  go  out  at  the  door  of  his  house 
until  morning,  for  the  Lord  will  pass  through  to 
smite  the  Egyptians ;  and  when  He  seeth  the  blood 
upon  the  lintel  and  on  the  two  side  posts,  the  Lord 
will  pass  over  the  door  and  will  not  suffer  the 
destroyer  to  come  in  unto  your  houses  to  smite 
you."  * 

The  claim  that  the  Mezuzah  is  an  amulet, 
protecting  the  occupants  of  the  home  against 
harm  from  evil  spirits,  is  justified  by  the  be- 
lief in  the  power  of  amulets  among  Jews,  a 
great  number  of  whom  are  known  to  wear 
them  on  their  persons.  The  amulet, 
"  Kamea,"  used  among  Jews  and  worn  by 
them  on  their  persons  for  purposes  of  pro- 
tection against  all  sorts  of  misfortune,  more 
especially  sickness,  varies  in  design.  A  popu- 
lar form  is  a  piece  of  parchment  with  a 
Hebrew  inscription.  Another  form  is  an 
ornament  in  the  shape  of  a  heart  made  of 

4  Ex.  12  :  22-23. 


ii2  Customs  in  the  Home 

some  metal  with  "  Shaddai,"  Almighty,  in- 
scribed on  one  side  and  the  shield  of  David 
engraved  on  the  reverse  side.     In  the  collec- 
tion of  objects  of  Jewish  ceremonial  in  the 
National  Museum  at  Washington  there  are, 
in  addition  to  the  amulets  of  the  character 
already  given,  a  medallion,  a  silver  medal,  a 
silver  coin,  and  two  silver  rings,  used  for 
this  purpose.     The  importance  attached  to 
amulets  may  be  recognized  by  the  permission 
the  Shulchan  Aruch  grants  to  wear  them  on 
the  Sabbath,5  whereas  it  forbids  the  carrying 
of  other  portable  things  on  the  Sabbath,  on 
account  of  the  fact,  that  carrying  is  con- 
sidered a  certain  form  of  labor.    Israel  Abra- 
hams tells,  that  betrothal  rings  inscribed  with 
the  words  "  Mazal  Tob,"  good  luck,  during 
the  middle  ages  were  supposed  to  protect  the 
bride  against  the  proverbial  "  evil  eye,"  while 
in  more  recent  times  seal  rings  were  engraved 
for  a  similar  purpose  with  the  name  of  God.n 

'Orach  Chayim  301. 

6  Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,  p.  182. 


Customs  in  the  Home  113 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  stated  that 
Abraham  Ibn  Ezra  denounced  amulets,  to- 
gether with  other  superstitions. 

Though  different  in  purpose  from  the 
Mezuzah,  an  object  found  in  most  Jewish 
homes  should  be  mentioned  in  this  connec- 
tion. I  refer  to  the  so-called  "  Mizrach."  It 
is  made  either  of  paper,  cardboard,  silk  or 
velvet,  and  handsomely  embroidered.  Some 
households  own  "  Mizrachs  "  which  are  mas- 
terpieces of  art.  The  Mizrach  gets  its  name, 
which  means  East,  from  the  object  it  serves. 
When  framed,  it  is  usually  suspended  on  the 
eastern  wall  of  the  living  room  of  the  house, 
in  order  to  indicate  the  East,  the  direction,  in 
which  occupants  of  the  house  turn  when  en- 
gaged in  prayer.  The  verse  usually  found  on 
the  top  of  the  Mizrach  is : 

"  From  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto  its  setting  the 
name  of  the  Lord  is  praised."  7 

After  the  Jewish  home  is  provided  with 
Mezuzoth  and  the  family  takes  possession  of 
its  home,  the  home  is  usually  dedicated  form- 

7  Ps.  113:  3. 
8 


ii4  Customs  in  the  Home 

ally  by  a  religious  ceremony,  consisting  of 
the  recitation  of  passages  from  the  Biblical 
and  Talmudical  writings.  The  Biblical  por- 
tions selected  for  this  occasion  are  Psalms 
30;  15;  101;  121 ;  127;  128;  and  119,  verses 
9-16,  153-160,  81-88,  33-40  in  the  order  here 
given.  For  the  purpose  of  dedication  some 
one  learned  in  the  law  is  usually  procured. 


Sabbath   Lamp 


CHAPTER  VII 

Sabbath  in  the  Home 
Although  attendance  at  synagogue  is  ex- 
pected from  Jews,  on  the  ground  that  it  has 
a  tendency  to  strengthen  the  Jewish  con- 
sciousness and  solidarity,  there  are  occasions 
when  the  home  is  made  the  scene  of  divine 
services.  These  occasions  are  the  mornings 
and  evenings  of  the  week  of  mourning, 
"  Shibah,"  following  the  death  of  some  near 
relative  (during  which  time  the  mourner  is 
expected  to  abstain  from  the  pursuit  of  his 
vocation)  ;  the  anniversaries  of  the  death  of 
a  relative;  and  wedding  ceremonies  (insti- 
tutions, the  details  of  which  will  be  explained 
in  subsequent  chapters). 

As  in  the  discussion  of  the  ceremonial  in- 
stitutions in  vogue  in  the  synagogue  proper, 
we  followed  the  holy  seasons  in  their  chrono- 
logical order,  so  we  shall  follow  them  in 
chronological  order  in  describing  the  institu- 
tions practiced  in  the  home. 


n6  Sabbath  in  the  Home 

Before  proceeding  to  them  we  shall  take 
up  the  Sabbath. 

The  Sabbath  among  Jews  is  a  day. of  joy, 
and  the  ceremonial  institutions  which  mark  it 
are  therefore  all  expressive  of  its  joyous 
character.  While  the  head  of  the  family  is 
at  the  synagogue,  welcoming  in  the  public 
devotion  the  day  of  rest,  the  wife  and  mother, 
or  in  the  case  of  her  absence,  the  oldest  fe- 
male member  of  the  home,  decks  the  table  in 
the  dining  room  with  a  white  cloth  and  places 
upon  it  two  candlesticks,  each  of  which  con- 
tains a  wax  or  tallow  taper,  kindled  by  her 
just  before  sundown,  while  reciting  the  bene- 
diction : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  commanded  us  to  kindle  the  Sab- 
bath lights." 

On  the  eve  of  festivals,  when  the  same 
ceremony  is  observed,  the  word  "  festival  " 
is  substituted  for  the  word  "  Sabbath  "  in 
the  benediction. 

The  candlesticks  are  either  of  burnished 
brass  or  silver.     In  some  instances  a  can- 


Candlesticks  and  Candelabra 


Sabbath  in  the  Home  117 

delabrum  is  used  in  place  of  the  candlesticks, 
and  in  a  number  of  cases  homes  are  provided 
with  Sabbath  lamps,  supplied  with  seven 
brackets  for  lights,  and  suspended  from  the 
ceiling  of  the  living  room. 

In  addition  to  the  Sabbath  lights,  two 
loaves  of  bread,  called  "  Berches  "  because 
symbols  of  God's  blessing,  the  double  portion 
of  manna  with  which  ancient  Israel  was  pro- 
vided on  Friday,1  are  placed  on  the  table 
directly  in  front  of  the  seat  to  be  occupied  by 
the  head  of  the  family  during  the  evening 
meal.  These  "  Berches  "  are  usually  baked 
at  the  home  by  the  housewife,  who  is  in  duty 
bound  to  take  the  "  Challah  "  (correspond- 
ing to  the  first  part  of  the  dough  to  be  given 
to  the  priest)  ,2  which  she  places  into  the  stove 
to  be  burnt.  This  act  is  also  accompanied 
by  a  benediction,  in  which  God  is  blessed  for 
commanding  the  separation  of  the  Challah. 

When  the  husband  and  father  returns 
from  the  synagogue  his  children  gather  about 

1  Ex.  16 :  22. 

2  Numb.   15  :  17-21. 


n8  Sabbath  in  the  Home 

him,  according  to  age,  and  he,  placing  his 
hands  upon  their  heads,  invokes  upon  them  a 
benediction.  In  the  case  of  boys  he  pro- 
nounces the  words,  "  May  God  make  thee 
like  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,"  and  in  the  case 
of  the  girls,  "  May  God  make  thee  like  Sarah, 
Rebeccah,  Rachel  and  Leah,"  concluding  in 
both  cases  with  the  three-fold  priestly  bene- 
diction, "  The  Lord  bless  thee  and  preserve 
thee,  the  Lord  make  his  countenance  to  shine 
upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee;  the 
Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  toward  thee 
and  give  thee  peace." 

Then  follows  the  recitation  of  the  Prov- 
erbs 31 :  10-31,  by  the  father,  in  which  the 
qualities  of  the  virtuous  woman  are  extolled, 
in  honor  of  the  female  head  of  the  house. 
Washing  his  hands  (a  custom  enjoined  be- 
fore every  service,  especially  before  the  meal 
about  to  be  served,  because  the  table  corre- 
sponds to  the  altar  which  demands  the  purity 
of  the  priest),  the  husband  proceeds  to  the 
sanctification  of  the  Sabbath,  the  Kiddush, 
in  the  manner  in  which  this  ceremony  took 


Sabbath  in  the  Home  119 

place  in  the  synagogue  and  as  described  in  a 
previous  chapter.  When  the  blessing  has 
been  recited  over  the  wine,  the  goblet  is 
passed  to  every  member  of  the  family,  ac- 
cording to  age,  each  one  of  whom  takes  a 
sip.  Then  follows  the  benediction  over  the 
loaves  of  bread,  which  reads : 

14  Blessed    be    the    Lord,    our    God,    King    of    the 
Universe,  Who  brings  bread  out  of  the  earth." 

One  of  the  loaves  is  cut  and  each  person 
at  the  table  receives  a  small  piece  called  the 
"  Motzie,"  i.  e.,  a  part  of  the  loaf  over  which 
a  blessing  has  been  pronounced.  After  sup- 
per follow  the  grace  after  meals,  and  hymns 
of  praise  which  are  known  as  "  Zemiroth  " 
(psalms). 

The  lights  in  many  Jewish  homes  are  ex- 
tinguished and  the  fires  raked  by  a  non-Jew, 
engaged  for  this  purpose,  as  by  the  Rabbini- 
cal interpretation  of  a  Scriptural  passage 
Jews  are  forbidden  to  touch  fire  in  any  form.3 

The  same  ceremony  of  breaking  bread  and 
blessing  the  wine  is  observed  on  the  eve  of 

3  Ex.  35  :  3- 


120  Sabbath  in  the  Home 

holidays  with  some  slight  modification  al- 
ways suggested  by  the  peculiar  character  of 
the  day  celebrated.  At  the  noon  meal  of  the 
Sabbath  and  holidays  the  blessing  is  recited 
only  over  loaves  of  bread.  The  loaves,  until 
cut,  are  always  covered  by  an  embroidered 
cloth  reserved  for  this  purpose.  The  noon 
meal  is  also  followed  by  songs  of  praise,  as 
is  the  meal  on  the  eve  of  the  previous  day. 
The  "  Habdalah  "  (distinction),  celebrated 
in  the  home  at  the  close  of  the  Sabbath,  dif- 
fers somewhat  from  its  observance  in  the 
public  devotion  of  the  synagogue.  The  male 
members  of  the  family  drink  the  wine,  while 
all  members  of  the  family  inhale  the  fra- 
grance of  the  spices.  In  place  of  wine,  if  wine 
cannot  be  procured,  beer  or  milk  may  be 
used.  If  there  is  no  male  head  to  the  family, 
mothers  sanctify  with  Kiddush  and  close 
with  Habdalah  the  Sabbath  in  the  home. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
The  Festivals  in  the  Home 
The  holiday  marked  by  elaborate  cere- 
monial institutions  in  the  home  is  Passover. 
Preparations  are  made  for  putting  the  home 
into  holiday  attire  long  before  the  arrival  of 
the  feast.  For  weeks  sometimes  housewives 
are  busy  removing  the  leaven  out  of  the  vari- 
ous apartments  of  their  dwellings.  When 
the  house  has  been  thoroughly  cleansed  the 
head  of  the  family  will,  on  the  eve  of  the  day 
preceding  Passover,  make  a  search  in  his 
house  for  leaven,  gathering  up  everything  of 
this  kind  and  blessing  God  for  having  en- 
joined this  custom  as  a  religious  duty.  He 
then  states,  that  all  the  leaven  which  has  es- 
caped his  notice  shall  not  be  accounted  as 
such  but  at  the  dust  of  the  earth.  About  ten 
o'clock  on  the  following  day  all  the  leaven 
gathered  is  burnt.  During  the  afternoon  the 
table  is  set  for  the  Seder,  "  order,"  "  service," 
which  takes  place  upon  the  return  of  the  male 


122    The  Festivals  in  the  Home 

members  of  the  family  from  the  synagogue. 
The  Seder  is  held  in  memory  of  Israel's  ex- 
ode  from  Egypt.    The  table  is  set  as  follows : 
At  the  place  immediately  in  front  of  the 
seat  of  him,  who  is  to  conduct  the  service,  a 
dish  is  placed,  on  which  are  put  three  un- 
leavened cakes  (Matzoth) ,  each  one  of  which 
is  covered  separately.     On  the  top  of  them 
are  put  a  roasted  egg,  a  roasted  shank  bone, 
the   "  Charoseth "    (a   mixture   of   scraped 
apples    and    almonds),    "  Maror "     (bitter 
herbs,  parsley  and  salt  water).    That  which 
is  wanted  first  is  placed  nearest  to  the  leader 
of  the  service.    Every  one  of  these  articles  is 
emblematic  of  some  special  historical  idea. 
The  bitter  herbs,  usually  consisting  of  horse- 
radish, stand,  on  account  of  their  pungent 
taste,  for  the  hard  work  of  the  Israelites  in 
Egypt.     The  Charoseth,  on  account  of  its 
brown  color,  is  representative  of  the  clay,  out 
of  which  Israelites  made  bricks.    The  shank 
bone  is  the  memorial  of  the  paschal  lamb. 
And  the  use  of  the  egg,  only  a  couple  of  cen- 
turies old  and  borrowed  from  Christians,  is 


The  Festivals  in  the  Home     123 

symbolical  of  the  sacrifice  brought  on  each 
day  of  the  festival  in  the  Temple. 

During  the  service  every  participant  drinks 
four  cups  of  wine  especially  prepared  for 
Passover.  These  four  cups  correspond  to 
the  four  expressions  of  redemption  used  in 
the  Bible,  in  connection  with  the  story  of 
Israel's  liberation.  The  four  expressions  are 
>nK¥in  "  I  have  brought  forth,"  ^nSxa  "  I  have 
redeemed,"  Thvn  "  I  have  delivered,"  *nnp*> 
"  I  have  taken."  * 

In  the  great  majority  of  families,  the  wine 
for  this  occasion  is  made  of  raisins.  During 
the  reading  of  the  service  the  participants  are 
to  recline,  expressive  of  the  comparative 
freedom  and  ease  Jews  have  enjoyed  since 
their  ancestors'  slavery.  The  Passover  is  a 
family  reunion  and  often  brings  together 
members  of  the  same  family  living  great  dis- 
tances apart.  The  dish  containing  the  neces- 
sary articles  is  usually  one  designed  for 
the  Seder  purpose.  It  is  made  either  of 
earthenware  or  metal,  and  richly  decorated. 

'Ex.  6:  6-7. 


124    The  Festivals  in  the  Home 

The  cups  of  wine  are  of  silver,  provided 
the  means  of  the  family  will  allow  the 
purchase  of  such.  It  should  be  stated  here 
that  these  utensils,  as  well  as  all  others 
used  during  the  Passover  week,  are  never 
used  at  any  other  time  of  the  year.  When 
Passover  has  passed,  the  utensils  are  care- 
fully stored  away  to  keep  them  from  all 
contact  with  either  anything  leaven  or  with 
the  dishes  used  for  leavened  food. 

The  Seder  service  proceeds  in  the  follow- 
ing order :  First  comes  the  sanctification  of 
the  day  by  Kiddush ;  then  the  washing  of  the 
hands;  the  eating  of  the  parsley;  the  break- 
ing of  the  middle  cake  in  the  dish  (a  part  of 
which  is  called  "  Afikomen,"  by  some  dis- 
tributed among  the  family  after  the  meal,  by 
others  kept  until  the  following  year  and  burnt 
with  the  leaven  on  the  eve  of  the  subsequent 
Passover) .  Here  follows  an  invitation  to  all 
who  are  needy  to  come  and  participate  in  the 
service.  Then  are  told  the  stories  of  Israel's 
slavery,  its  exode  from  Egypt,  and  its  de- 
velopment as  a  nation.     Interspersed  with 


Kiddush  Cup  (Silver 


Passover  Kiddush  Goblet  (Silver) 


The  Festivals  in  the  Home     125 

these  narratives  are  comments  by  the  Rabbis 
of  the  early  Christian  centuries  and  songs  of 
praise  to  God.  Then  follow  in  the  order  here 
given  the  eating  of  the  bitter  herb,  the  serv- 
ing of  the  evening  meal,  grace,  psalms,  songs, 
and  special  prayers. 

The  next  festival  observed  in  the  home  by 
special  ceremonial  is  New  Year.  The  cere- 
monial customary  then  is  nothing  more  than 
the  exchange  of  the  compliments  of  the 
season.  On  this  occasion  relatives  and 
friends  visit  one  another  and  meet  with  the 
greeting,  "  S'hanah  Tobah,"  a  Happy  New 
Year,  to  which  the  person  addressed  re- 
sponds, nns  D3  or  na  D3  lit.  "  also  you," 
meaning  "  the  same  to  you."  If  people  find 
it  impossible  to  see  one  another  in  person  on 
this  day,  they  exchange  cards,  expressing 
their  good  wishes  with  the  inscription :  n3&6 
anan  nana  "  May  you  be  inscribed  for  a  good 
year,"  with  the  phrase,  "  in  the  book  of  life  " 
understood.  These  cards  differ  both  in  de- 
sign and  elaborateness.  In  some  communi- 
ties it  is  customary  to  eat  honey  with  bread 


126    The  Festivals  in  the  Home 

on  the  eve  of  the  New  Year,  expressive  of  the 
wish  that,  as  the  bread  is  sweet,  so  may  the 
experiences  during  the  year  to  come  be  only 
the  most  pleasant. 

A  feast  observed  in  the  home  by  an  inter- 
esting institution  is  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
celebrated,  as  has  been  stated  in  one  of  the 
preceding  chapters,  in  commemoration  of  the 
fact,  that  the  Israelites  dwelt  in  booths,  while 
wandering  through  the  wilderness.  Because 
Leviticus  23  :  43  commands,  "  In  booths  shall 
ye  dwell,"  booths  are  erected  for  this  festival 
in  either  the  yard  or  on  the  roofs  of  Jewish 
homes.  The  booth  has  three  sides  of  wood, 
while  the  fourth  side  or  entrance  is  covered 
by  a  curtain.  The  roof  consists  of  leaves  and 
branches,  closely  put  together,  so  that  the  sun 
may  not  annoy  the  family  dining  and  sitting 
in  the  booth  during  the  entire  week  of  the 
festival.  Everything  which  does  not  grow 
on  the  earth  is  unfit  as  material  for  the  roof. 
The  sides  are  usually  hung  with  beautiful 
draperies,  while  the  roof  is  hung  with  differ- 
ent kinds  of  fruit.    The  draperies  are  often 


The  Festivals  in  the  Home    127 

old  curtains  of  the  ark  of  the  synagogue. 
The  work  of  construction  begins  immedi- 
ately after  the  Day  of  Atonement.  The 
height  of  the  booth  dare  not  exceed  twenty 
cubits,  the  measurement  fixed  by  Rabbinical 
law.  Nor  is  a  booth  allowed  to  be  narrower 
than  the  given  size  of  four  cubits.  Although 
it  is  a  duty  to  spend  one's  time  in  the  booth 
during  this  holiday,  some  people  going  even 
so  far  as  to  sleep  in  it,  the  sick  are  exempt 
from  this  obligation.  In  case  of  rain,  people 
need  not  remain  in  the  booth,  although  the 
Kiddush  (sanctification)  and  the  Motzie 
(breaking  of  bread),  on  the  first  night  must 
take  place  in  it,  despite  inclement  weather. 
Chanukkah,  the  Feast  of  Dedication,  ob- 
served in  memory  of  the  victories  of  Judas 
Maccabeus  over  the  Syrians,  is  celebrated  in 
the  home,  as  in  the  synagogue,  by  the  kind- 
ling of  wax  tapers  or  oil  lamps  by  all  male 
members  of  the  family.  In  some  instances 
even  the  women  and  girls  are  permitted  to 
perform  this  religious  duty.  The  candelabra 
used  for  this  purpose  are  not  always  of  costly 


128    The  Festivals  in  the  Home 

character.  They  are  improvised  at  times  out 
of  wood  or  even  egg  shells.  Because  made 
a  feast  for  children,  owing  to  the  youth  ful- 
ness of  the  hero  of  the  Chanukkah  story, 
parents  are  in  the  habit  of  delighting  the 
hearts  of  the  little  ones  with  presents  of  all 
kinds,  as  Christians  are  wont  to  do  on  Christ- 
mas. A  favorite  sport  on  this  feast  among 
Jews  during  the  Middle  Ages,  mentioned  by 
Israel  Abrahams,  was  the  propounding  of 
arithmetical  puzzles.2  Card  playing  is  on  this 
feast  not  only  permitted,  but  actually  en- 
dorsed by  Jewish  tradition  as  a  means  of 
amusement.  A  well-known  game  of  chance 
is  that  played  with  the  Trendel  (a  top) ,  made 
either  of  wood  or  metal.  According  to  some 
the  word  "  trendel  "  is  a  Judaized  term  from 
the  German  "  Drahen,"  to  turn,  and  accord- 
ing to  others  from  "  Trandel,"  to  hesitate. 
Trendel,  according  to  the  latter  derivation, 
would  be  the  object,  hesitating  to  decide  upon 
what  side  to  fall.    The  body  of  the  top  is  a 

2  Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,  p.  3&5- 


The  Festivals  in  the  Home     129 

cube,  on  each  of  the  lateral  sides  of  which  is 
found  a  Hebrew  letter.  The  four  Hebrew 
letters  are  &WJ  the  initials  of  the  words 
constituting  the  sentence  db>  rpn  ^na  w  "  a 
great  miracle  happened  there."  In  playing 
with  the  Trendel,  each  of  the  different  per- 
sons engaged  in  the  game  puts  a  coin  or  nut 
into  a  common  pot.  The  Trendel  is  spun, 
and  the  letter,  which  comes  to  view  as  the 
Trendel  falls,  indicates  the  gain  or  loss  of  the 
player.  The  letters  are  used  as  initials  of 
German  words.  a  stands  for  "  N,"  of 
"  Nichts,"  and  indicates  that  the  player  takes 
nothing  out  of  the  pot.  The  a  stands  for 
"  G,"  of  "  Ganz,"  and  indicates  that  the 
whole  pot  belongs  to  the  player,  n  stands 
for  "  H,"  of  "  Halb,"  and  indicates  that  the 
player  gets  half  of  the  pot.  ^stands  for 
"  St,"  of  "  Stellen,"  and  indicates  that  the 
player  must  put  a  fixed  fine  into  the  pot. 
This  game  is  not  Jewish  in  origin.  Nor  do 
all  Jews  play  it.  It  is  confined  to  only  Ger- 
man-speaking Jews.     Stewart  Culin  of  the 

9 


130    The  Festivals  in  the  Home 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  has  treated  it 
among  other  games  played  by  different 
nations. 

Purim  is  celebrated  in  the  home  by  the 
interchange  of  presents  between  different 
families,  known  as  "  Shloach  Manoth,"  the 
sending  of  gifts.3  The  poor  especially  are 
remembered  with  a  goodly  portion  on  this 
occasion.  On  the  eve  of  the  festival  the  table 
in  many  a  home  is  set  with  sweets  for  visit- 
ors, more  especially  for  masquers,  who  in 
every  community  go  from  home  to  home  in 
large  numbers  and  make  carnival  on  this 
holiday.  On  Purim,  too,  card-playing  is 
freely  indulged  in.  These  are  in  the  main 
the  institutions  practiced  in  the  Jewish  home 
worthy  of  note. 

The  following  chapters  will  lead  us  into  a 
description  of  certain  general  religious  cus- 
toms and  rites  in  vogue  among  Jews. 

3  Esther  9 :  22. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Circumcision   and  Redemption   of  the 
First  Born 

In  treating  of  the  ceremonial  institutions 
which  are  not  confined  either  to  the  syna- 
gogue as  such  or  to  the  Jewish  home,  let  us 
discuss  them  in  the  order,  in  which  the  Jew 
encounters  and  experiences  them  in  the 
course  of  his  life. 

The  first  institution  claiming  our  attention 
is  the  hoary  rite  of  circumcision.  It  consists, 
as  the  etymology  of  the  English  term  implies, 
of  the  removal  of  the  foreskin  from  the  male 
organ  by  means  of  cutting.  Its  Hebrew 
equivalent  is  "  Milan."  There  is  no  Jewish 
institution  which  has  been  preserved  more 
faithfully  and  is  violated  less.  In  whatever 
particular  a  Jew  may  prove  lax,  he  will  rarely 
fail  to  perform  the  circumcision  by  means  of 
the  proper  agent  appointed  for  this  purpose, 
if  a  son  is  born  to  him.  The  institution  has 
met  with  general  conformity,  because  of  the 


132    Circumcision  anl  Redemption 

Biblical  command  at  first  enjoined  upon 
Abraham,  and  later  upon  the  people  of  Israel. 
It  is  Abraham  concerning  whom  it  is  said : 

"  And  God  said  unto  Abraham,  Thou  shalt  keep 
my  covenant,  therefore,  thou  and  thy  seed  after  thee 
in  their  generations. 

This  is  my  covenant  which  ye  shall  keep  between 
me  and  you,  and  thy  seed  after  thee;  every  man 
child  among  you  shall  be  circumcised. 

And  ye  shall  circumcise  the  flesh  of  your  fore- 
skin ;  and  it  shall  be  a  token  of  the  covenant  betwixt 
me  and  you. 

And  he  that  is  eight  days  old  shall  be  circumcised 
among  you,  every  man  child  in  your  generations. 
He  that  is  born  in  the  house,  or  bought  with  money 
of  any  stranger  which  is  not  of  thy  seed. 

He  that  is  born  in  thy  house  and  he  that  is  bought 
with  thy  money,  must  needs  be  circumcised ;  and  my 
covenant  shall  be  in  your  flesh  for  an  everlasting 
covenant. 

And  the  uncircumcised  man  child  whose  flesh  of 
his  foreskin  is  not  circumcised,  that  soul  shall  be  cut 
off  from  his  people;  he  hath  broken  my  covenant."1 

The  children  of  Israel  are  told : 

"And  in  the  eighth  day  the  flesh  of  his  (man 
child's)  foreskin  shall  be  circumcised."2 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  circumcision  was 

the  sign  of  God's  adoption  by  Abraham,  it 

^en.  17:  9-14. 
2  Lev.  12:  3. 


Of  the  First  Born  133 

is  known  as  DrrOK  rvo  "  The  Abrahamitic 
covenant." 

According  to  Jewish  tradition,  it  is  the 
duty  of  every  father  to  circumcise  his  son. 
Should  the  father  neglect  his  responsibility, 
the  religious  authorities  look  to  its  execution. 
And  in  the  event  that  a  male's  circumcision 
is  overlooked  by  those  in  authority  in  the  con- 
gregation, said  male,  when  grown,  is  obli- 
gated to  provide  for  his  own  circumcision. 
One  willing  to  remain  uncircumcised  is 
punished  with  the  penalty  of  mi  "  cutting 
off  "  from  the  congregation  of  God. 

Originally  every  father  was  expected  to 
circumcise  his  child,  but  in  the  course  of  time 
the  office  of  professional  operator,  "  Mohel," 
was  created.  At  the  present  time  the  service 
is  not  infrequently  delegated  to  a  graduate 
physician,  as  circumcision  is  justly  regarded 
a  surgical  operation. 

The  circumcision  must  take  place  on  the 
eighth  day  after  the  child's  birth  and  not 
earlier  than  sunrise.  If  a  circumcision  has 
for  some  cause  or  other  been  performed  at 


134    Circumcision  and  Redemption 

night,  blood,  known  as  blood  of  the  covenant, 
must  be  drawn  by  incision  from  the  male 
organ  of  the  child  during  the  following  day. 
In  the  case  of  weak  children  the  circumcision 
is  postponed  until  they  are  strong  enough  to 
undergo  the  operation.  A  sick  child,  for  ex- 
ample, one  suffering  from  fever,  is  not  cir- 
cumcised until  seven  days  after  its  recovery. 
A  child  suffering  from  some  local  ailment, 
like  sore  eyes,  is  circumcised  immediately 
after  its  recovery.  The  child  born  without 
foreskin  has  simply  the  drop  of  blood,  con- 
stituting the  blood  of  the  covenant,  taken 
from  him  by  incision.  The  utmost  precau- 
tion is  always  exercised  not  to  endanger  a 
child's  life  by  circumcision.  If  the  blood 
does  not  circulate  properly  in  a  child,  or,  if 
two  children  of  the  same  family  have  died  as 
a  result  of  their  circumcision,  the  circum- 
cision must  be  postponed.  If  a  child  dies  be- 
fore the  eighth  day  its  circumcision  should, 
according  to  the  Shulchan  Aruch,  take  place 
at  the  cemetery  before  burial,  but  without 
the  recitation  of  the  usual  formula,  although 


Of  the  First  Born  135 

the  dead  child  is  given  a  name.  The  custom 
of  circumcising  dead  children  is  not  general. 

Circumcision  may  take  place  even  on  Sab- 
baths. It  may  be  performed  in  the  home,  or 
even  in  the  synagogue.  The  synagogue  is  not 
often  selected.  The  operation  may  be  per- 
formed by  means  of  any  sharp  instrument, 
either  a  lancet  or  scissors.  A  lancet  is  most 
generally  employed. 

The  manner  of  the  operation  is  as  follows  : 
The  foreskin  is  stretched  forward  and  held 
tight  by  some  support,  so  that  it  does  not 
slip  back  on  the  organ.  It  is  then  cut  off 
close  to  the  support  and  thrown  into  sand, 
because  the  promise  was  given  to  Abraham 
that  his  posterity  would  be  as  numerous  as 
the  grains  of  sand  upon  the  seashore.  Some 
wine  is  then  sprinkled  on  the  wound  and  on 
the  face  of  the  child  in  order  to  revive  the 
child  from  weakness,  consequent  upon  the 
loss  of  blood.  The  remaining  skin  of  the 
organ  is  then  cut,  so  that  the  head  of  the 
organ  remains  altogether  exposed,  an  act 
termed  "  Periah,"  uncovering,  without  which 


136    Circumcision  and  Redemption 

the  circumcision  is  null  and  void.  Thereupon 
the  operator  takes  some  wine  into  his  mouth 
and  sucks  the  blood  out  of  the  wound,  an  act 
known  as  "  Mezizah,"  and  performed  to  pre- 
vent inflammation.  Some  healing  powder  is 
put  on  the  wound,  whereupon  the  organ  is 
bandaged.  The  sucking  of  the  blood  has 
been  abandoned  in  many  communities, 
especially  in  such  where  practicing  physicians 
perform  the  operation,  and  in  its  place  anti- 
septics are  used,  as  children  have  been  known 
to  become  inoculated  with  the  germs  of  dis- 
ease by  the  traditional  procedure. 

The  night  preceding  the  circumcision  is 
often  spent  by  those,  who  expect  to  attend 
the  acceptance  of  the  boy  into  the  Abra- 
hamitic  covenant,  in  the  recitation  of  Psalms 
and  Talmudical  passages  at  the  home  of  the 
child. 

The  most  important  person  next  to  the 
operator  at  the  circumcision  is  the  "  San- 
dek,"  God-father,  or  "  Ba'al  Berith,"  who 
holds  the  child  while  the  circumcision  is  per- 
formed. The  service  accompanying  the 
operation  is  the  following : 


Of  the  First  Born  137 

As  the  child  is  brought  into  the  room 
where  the  circumcision  takes  place,  the  com- 
pany to  witness  the  operation  exclaims : 
"  Blessed  be  he  who  comes  in  the  name  of 
God." 

The  father  of  the  child  then  says  : 

"  Behold  I  am  prepared  to  perform  the  commanda- 
tory  precept  which  the  Creator,  blessed  be  He,  en- 
joined upon  us,  namely  to  circumcise  my  son,  as 
it  is  written  in  the  law.  'And  at  the  age  of  8  days 
every  male  throughout  your  generations  should  be 
circumcised/  " 

The  operator  places  the  child,  then,  upon 
a  chair  symbolical  of  the  throne  of  Elijah, 
Elijah  being  the  angel  of  the  covenant,  ac- 
cording to  the  prophet  Malachi,  and  says, 
"  Behold  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  he 
shall  prepare  the  way  before  me."  3 

The  operator  thereupon  recites  : 

"This  is  the  throne  of  Elijah — may  he  be  remem- 
bered for  good.  For  Thy  salvation,  O  Lord,  I 
have  waited.  For  Thy  salvation,  O  Lord,  I  have 
hoped.  Thy  commandments  I  have  obeyed.  For 
Thy  salvation,  O  Lord,  I  have  hoped.  I  rejoice 
because  of  Thy  word,   as  one  who  finds  abundant 

3  Mai.  3:  23. 


138    Circumcision  and  Redemption 

booty.  Unbounded  peace  comes  to  those,  who  cher- 
ish Thy  law  and  obstacles  never  come  into  their 
path.  Happy  he,  whom  Thou  choosest  and  whom 
Thou  causest  to  approach,  that  he  may  dwell  in 
Thy  courts." 

After  this  introduction  the  company  re- 
sponds : 

"Let  us  be  satisfied  with  the  goodness  of  Thy 
house,  Thy  holy  temple." 

The  God-father,  who  is  seated  upon  a 

chair,  now  receives  the  child  and  holds  it  on 

his  knees,  while  the  operator  says : 

f<  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  his  com- 
mandments and  enjoined  upon  us  the  circumcision." 

Immediately   after  the   circumcision   the 

father  intones : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  with  his  com- 
mandments, and  commanded  us  to  cause  our  sons 
to  enter  the  covenant  of  our  Father  Abraham." 

To  this  benediction  the  company  responds : 

"As  he  (the  boy)  has  entered  the  covenant,  so 
may  he  be  permitted  to  enter  the  study  of  the  law, 
the  marriage  state  and  the  practice  of  good  deeds." 

Then  the  operator  picks  up  a  goblet  of 

wine  and  says : 


Of  the  First  Born  139 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Creator  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  from  the  womb  sanctified  the  beloved 
(Isaac),  who  set  a  statute  in  his  flesh  and  who 
sealed  his  off-spring  with  the  sign  of  the  holy  cove- 
nant, therefore,  with  this  reward.  Oh,  our  living 
God,  our  Portion,  our  Rock,  command  the  deliv- 
erance of  the  dearly  beloved  of  our  flesh  from  de- 
struction for  the  sake  of  the  covenant,  Thou  hast 
put  on  our  flesh.  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  Former  of 
the  covenant. 

Our  God,  and  God  of  our  Fathers,  preserve  this 
child  for  his  father  and  mother,  and  may  he  be  called 
in  Israel — (Here  follows  the  Hebrew  name  of  the 
child  by  which  he  is  to  be  known.)  Let  the  father 
rejoice  over  him  that  came  from  his  loins,  and  let 
his  mother  be  glad  because  of  the  fruit  of  her  womb, 
as  it  is  written  in  scriptures :  '  let  thy  father  and  thy 
mother  rejoice  and  let  her  that  gave  thee  birth,  be 
glad.'  And  as  it  is  said :  '  And  I  passed  by  thee, 
and  saw  thee  weltering  in  thy  blood,  and  said  unto 
thee:  In  thy  blood  live.'  And  it  is  furthermore 
said :  '  He  hath  remembered  His  covenant  forever, 
the  word  which  he  commanded  for  a  thousand  gener- 
ations; the  covenant  which  He  made  with  Abraham, 
and  His  oath  unto  Isaac,  and  which  He  confirmed 
unto  Jacob  for  a  statute,  to  Israel  for  an  everlasting 
covenant.'  And  it  is  said :  '  And  Abraham  circum- 
cised his  son,  Isaac,  when  he  was  eight  days  old, 
as  God  had  commanded  him.' 

Oh,  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good. 
His  loving  kindness  endures  forever.  May  this  child 
(here  the  name  is  again  mentioned),  become  great; 


140    Circumcision  and  Redemption 

and  as  he  has  entered  the  covenant,  so  may  he  be  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  study  of  the  law,  the  bond  of 
marriage,  and  the  practice  of  good  deeds." 

The  Gocl-father  now  drinks  of  the  wine. 
A  few  drops  are  given  to  the  infant.  The 
goblet  with  the  remainder  is  sent  to  the 
mother  so  that  she  may  partake  of  its  con- 
tents. The  circumcision  always  concludes 
with  a  feast,  followed  by  grace  appropriate 
to  the  occasion  and  recited  by  the  operator." 

While  speaking  of  the  circumcision  of 
Jewish  children,  the  adoption  of  non-Jews 
as  proselytes  may  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion. The  Shulchan  Aruch  holds  that  non- 
Jewish  males,  seeking  religious  fellowship 
with  Israel  and  the  privileges  resulting  there- 
from, must  be  subjected  to  circumcision.  If 
the  non-Jew  has  already  been  circumcised 
for  hygienic  reasons,  the  drop  of  blood, 
known  as  the  blood  of  the  covenant,  referred 
to  several  times  before,  must  be  drawn  from 
his  genital  organ  by  means  of  incision.  If, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  like  weakness  or 

4  For  rules  governing  the  circumcision,  vide  Shul- 
chan Aruch,  Yoreh  Deah,  260,  etc. 


Of  the  First  Born  141 

disease,  the  proselyte  cannot  be  circumcised 
without  dangerous  consequences,  he  may  be 
accepted  by  simply  conforming  to  the  two 
other  conditions  of  admission,  bathing  and 
immersion.  Attention  should  be  called  to 
the  fact  that  at  a  meeting  of  American  Re- 
form Rabbis  held  in  New  York  in  1892,  the 
circumcision  of  proselytes  was  abolished  as 
a  condition  of  their  admission  into  the  Jew- 
ish faith.5 

In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  say  a  word  on  the  attitude  of  Jews 
toward  proselytes.  It  should  be  stated  at  the 
outset  that  Judaism  is  not  a  proselytizing 
faith.  Non-Jews  are  accepted  only  if  they 
apply  for  Jewish  fellowship  of  their  own  free 
will  and  accord.  Every  conversion  presup- 
poses not  only  instruction  in  the  principles 
and  ceremonial  institutions  of  Judaism  but 
also  the  dissuasion  of  the  prospective  con- 
vert from  his  step.  He  must  be  made  ac- 
quainted  with   the   sad  lot   of   persecution 

5  Vide  "  Year  Book  Central  Conference  of  Amer- 
ican Rabbis,"  1892-1893. 


142    Circumcision  and  Redemption 

which  Israel  has  endured,  and,  only  after  the 
promise  of  willingness  to  share  that  lot  with 
his  newly  adopted  brethren  can  the  convert 
hope  to  be  accepted.  In  addition  the  pledge 
is  exacted,  that  all  children,  born  to  the  con- 
vert after  entrance  into  the  marriage  state 
with  a  born  Jew  or  Jewess,  will  be  permitted 
to  conform  to  the  demands  of  the  Abra- 
hamitic  covenant.6 

Since  girls  have  no  physical  operation  per- 
formed the  question  naturally  arises,  when 
do  they  receive  their  names  ?  It  is  customary 
for  the  father  and  mother  of  the  female  child 
to  go  to  the  synagogue  about  six  weeks  after 
the  girl's  birth.  This  visit  is  usually  made  on 
the  Sabbath.  The  father  is  called  to  the 
bema  to  be  one  of  the  eight  persons  to  recite 
the  usual  benedictions  over  a  sub-section  of 
the  weekly  portion  read  from  the  scrolls.  In 
the  course  of  special  blessings,  which  the 
father  asks  the  precentor  to  make,  he  dele- 
gates the  precentor  to  dedicate  one  to  his 
new-born  daughter  and  to  give  to  her  the 

fi  Shulchan  Aruch,  Yoreh  Deah,  268-270. 


Of  the  First  Born  143 

name  by  which  she  is  to  be  known  ever  after, 
and  to  dedicate  another  blessing  to  his  wife. 

The  attitude  of  the  synagogue  toward  fe- 
male converts  to  Judaism  is  one  of  dissua- 
sion, like  its  attitude  toward  males. 

Another  ceremony,  to  which  male  infants 
are  subjected,  is  that  known  as  the  "  Re- 
demption," ]2n  p*ia  if  the  male  child  happens 
to  be  the  first  born  among  the  children  of  the 
family.  The  first  born  is  always  the  first 
born  of  the  mother.  If  a  man  marries  a 
widow  with  children  and  a  boy  is  the  first 
fruit  of  the  marriage,  no  Redemption  is 
necessary.  If  the  father  is  absent  or  sick  at 
the  time  of  a  son's  Redemption,  the  Redemp- 
tion must  be  observed  by  the  mother.  This 
institution  takes  place  on  the  thirty-first  day 
after  the  child's  birth.  If  the  day  for  the 
Redemption  happens  to  be  a  Sabbath  or  holi- 
day, the  ceremony  is  deferred  until  the  next 
following  day,  because,  being  a  transaction 
by  means  of  coin,  it  would  be  a  desecration 
of  the  Sabbath.  The  institution  has  its  origin 
in  the  fact  that  in  the  tenth  plague,  which 


144    Circumcision  and  Redemption 

befell  Egypt,  and,  in  which  the  first  born  of 
every  Egyptian  home  was  killed,  the  first 
born  of  Israel  was  spared.  The  law  is  there- 
fore laid  down : 

"  Every  firstling  of  an  ass,  thou  shalt  redeem  with 
a  lamb,  and  if  thou  wilt  not  redeem  it,  then  thou 
shalt  break  his  neck;  and  all  the  first  born  of  man 
among  thy  children  shalt  thou  redeem."  7 

In  Numbers  both  the  age  and  the  cost  of 

redemption  are  stipulated  in  the  words : 

"  And  those  that  are  to  be  redeemed  from  a  month 
old  shalt  thou  redeem  according  to  thine  estimation, 
for  the  money  of  five  sheckels,  after  the  sheckel  of 
the  sanctuary,  which  is  twenty  gerah."  s 

For  the  redemption  of  the  child  the  parent 
must  go  to  one  who  is  descended  from  the 
priestly  family  of  Aaron.  The  reason  that 
one  of  the  descendants  of  Aaron  officiates  at 
this  ceremony  is,  because  in  the  early  days  of 
Israel  the  house  of  Aaron  was  selected  in 
place  of  the  first  born  of  Israel  to  minister  in 
the  sanctuary.  If  the  father  of  the  child 
happens  to  be  of  the  family  of  Aaron  or  of 
one  of  the  less  aristocratic  Levitical  clans,  or, 

7  Ex.  13:  13. 
sNumb.  18:  16. 


Of  the  First  Born  145 

if  the  mother  is  the  daughter  of  an  Aaronite 
or  Levite,  the  child  need  not  be  redeemed. 
The  amount  of  redemption  money  to  be  given 
to  the  priestly  descendant  is  always  the 
equivalent  of  five  sheckels.  This  is  about 
$2.50  in  our  currency.  The  money  may  be 
given  in  the  form  of  a  substitute  if  more 
agreeable  or  convenient.  Should  the  father 
or  mother  neglect  the  ceremony  of  redemp- 
tion, the  child,  when  old,  must  of  his  own 
accord  subject  himself  to  it. 

The  service  proceeds  as  follows :  The 
father  presents  his  child  to  the  priest  or 
Aaronite,  and  says : 

"  This  my  first  born,  is  the  first  born  of  his  mother ; 
and  the  Holy  One,  Blessed  be  He,  has  commanded  to 
redeem  him  as  it  is  said :  '  And  those  that  are  to 
be  redeemed  of  them  from  a  month  old,  shalt  thou 
redeem,  according  to  thine  estimation,  for  the  money 
of  five  sheckels,  after  the  sheckels  of  the  sanctuary, 
the  sheckel  being  twenty  gerahs.'  And  it  is  further- 
more said :  Sanctify  unto  me  all  the  first  born,  what- 
soever openeth  the  womb  among  the  children  of 
Israel,  both  of  man  and  of  beast;  it  is  mine." 

The  father,  then  handing  to  the  Aaronite 
the  equivalent  of  five  sheckels,  is  asked  by 
him: 
10 


146    Circumcision  and  Redemption 

"What  do  you  prefer?  To  give  me  thy  first  born 
son,  the  first  born  of  his  mother,  or  to  redeem  him 
for  five  selahs,  which  thou  art  by  law  obliged  to 
give?  " 

The  father  answers : 

"  I  prefer  to  redeem  my  son.  Here  is  the  value 
of  his  redemption,  which  I  am  by  law  obliged  to 
give." 

After  the  redemption  money  has  been  ac- 
cepted and  the  child  has  been  returned  to 
the  father,  the  father  says : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  by  his  command- 
ments and  enjoined  upon  us  the  redemption  of  the 
son. 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  kept  us  alive,  preserved  us 
and  permitted  us  to  reach  this  season." 

Holding  the  redemption  money  over  the 
head  of  the  child,  the  Aaronite  declares : 

"This  is  instead  of  that.  This  is  in  exchange  of 
that.  This  is  in  remission  of  that.  May  it  be  the 
will  of  God,  that  as  this  child  has  entered  the  period 
of  redemption,  the  child  may  be  spared  to  enter  the 
study  of  the  law,  the  marriage  state,  and  the  practice 
of  good  deeds.    Amen." 

The  Aaronite  then  places  his  hand  upon 

the  head  of  the  child  and  says : 


Of  the  First  Born  147 

"  May  God  make  thee  like  Ephraim  and  Manasseh. 
May  the  Lord  bless  thee  and  preserve  thee.  May  the 
Lord  let  His  countenance  shine  upon  thee  and  be  gra- 
cious unto  thee.  May  the  Lord  lift  up  His  counte- 
nance toward  thee  and  give  thee  peace.  The  Lord 
is  thy  keeper.  The  Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right 
hand.  For  length  of  days  and  years  of  life,  and 
peace  they  shall  add  to  thee.  The  Lord  shall  guard 
thee  against  all  evil.    He  will  guard  thy  life. 

Amen." 

After  the  redemption  there  is  a  feast  sim- 
ilar to  the  one  following  the  circumcision. 

Here  end  the  ceremonials  of  infancy. 
Those  remaining  to  be  treated  are  the  cere- 
monials of  adolescence,  manhood  and  of  cer- 
tain special  occasions  arising  in  the  course  of 
life. 


CHAPTER  X 
Bar  Mitzvah 

The  thirteenth  birthday  of  the  Jewish  boy 
is  one  of  the  most  important  events  of  his 
life.  He  is  then  considered  as  having  at- 
tained his  religious  majority.  The  event  is 
usually  celebrated  by  him  both  in  the  syna- 
gogue and  home.  Before,  however,  this  is 
done,  he  is  obliged  to  make  elaborate  educa- 
tional preparation.  Long  before  the  advent 
of  the  important  day,  he  is  sent  by  his  father 
to  a  teacher,  who  instructs  him  in  the  whole 
section  or  in  one  of  the  sub-sections  of  the 
weekly  Pentateuchal  portion  read  on  the  Sab- 
bath following  his  thirteenth  birthday,  ac- 
cording to  the  Jewish  calendar,  in  order  to 
enable  him  to  read  the  unpointed  text  from 
the  scrolls  during  the  services.  In  addition 
to  the  Pentateuchal  section  he  is  also 
taught  the  accompanying  prophetical  portion. 
While  in  some  communities  boys  are  permit- 


150  Bar  Mitzvah 

ted  to  read  the  several  parts  of  the  Scriptures 
without  the  traditional  melody,  in  the  great 
majority  of  communities  the  reading  with 
the  melody  (trope,  or  neginah)  is  not  only 
expected,  but  actually  demanded.  During 
this  period  of  instruction,  the  boy  is  further- 
more taught  how  to  lay  the  phylacteries, 
which  becomes  a  daily  duty  to  be  performed 
by  him  already  three  months  before  the  thir- 
teenth anniversary  of  his  birth.  When  the 
day  in  question  arrives,  he  is  regarded  a 
"  Bar  Mitzvah,"  a  son  of  the  commandment, 
by  which  is  understood,  a  Jew  expected  to 
perform  the  precepts  of  the  religion  and  pun- 
ishable for  their  violation.  According  to 
tradition,  the  father,  who  is  in  duty  bound  to 
provide  for  the  proper  training  of  his  son,  is 
responsible  for  the  son's  every  failure  to 
comply  in  childhood  with  the  laws  of  God. 
When,  therefore,  the  son  becomes  a  "  Bar 
Mitzvah  "  the  father  thanks  God  for  having 
freed  him  from  further  responsibility  for 
laws  transgressed  by  his  son.  The  father 
then  recites  the  benediction  :  "  Praised  be  He 


Bar  Mitzvah  151 

(that  is,  God)  Who  has  freed  me  from  being 
responsible  for  this  young  man's  conduct." 

When  the  boy  comes  to  the  synagogue  on 
the  Sabbath  of  his  Bar  Mitzvah,  he  is  called 
to  the  bema,  where  he  sings  the  several  sub- 
sections for  others,  who  recite  the  traditional 
benedictions,  usually  saying  the  benedictions 
himself  over  the  last  and  eighth  sub-section, 
called,  as  will  be  remembered,  "  Maftir,"  the 
concluding  portion.  Then  the  boy  follows 
with  the  prophetical  portion.  In  some  in- 
stances boys  deliver  addresses  in  the  hearing 
of  the  assembled  worshippers,  in  which  are 
set  forth  the  duties  and  benefits  of  the  Jew. 
Upon  returning  from  the  public  devotion, 
the  mid-day  meal  is  made  a  family  feast,  and, 
during  the  course  of  the  same,  the  "  Bar 
Mitzvah "  delivers  a  speech,  in  which  he 
thanks  his  parents  and  relatives  for  the  love 
and  care  enjoyed  at  their  hands.  On  this 
occasion  the  boy  is  as  a  rule  the  recipient  of 
gifts  from  relatives  and  friends. 


152  Bar  Mitzvah 

The  reason  assigned  for  the  age  at  which 
a  boy  becomes  a  "  Bar  Mitzvah  "  is  a  state- 
ment made  in  the  Mishnah  to  this  effect : 

"At  five  one  must  begin  the  study  of  the  Bible, 
at  ten  that  of  the  Mishnah,  and  at  thirteen  one 
must  assume  the  commandments,  etc."  * 

Whether  this  is  the  real  reason  for  the 
foundation  of  the  institution  is  questionable. 
We  are  inclined  to  believe  that  thirteen  was 
fixed  as  the  age  of  the  Jew's  religious  ma- 
jority because  in  the  East  boys  attain  their 
physical  maturity  at  about  this  age.  As  a 
religious  institution  to  be  celebrated  accord- 
ing to  the  manner  described,  it  is  no  doubt  the 
result  of  Christian  influences 2  and  corres- 
ponds to  the  rite  of  Confirmation  in  the 
Church.  Its  existence  in  the  synagogue  can- 
not be  traced  further  back  than  the  four- 
teenth century.3 

Girls  are  not  subjected  to  this  ceremony, 
as  they  cannot  be  expected  to  perform  re- 

xAboth  5:  24. 

3  Dembitz,  "Services  in  Synagogue  and  Home" 
p.  263. 

3  Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,  p.  32;  Loew, 
11  Lebensalter  "  p.  210. 


Bar  Mitzvah  153 

ligious  obligations,  which  have  to  be  exe- 
cuted at  a  definite  time  (a  point  dwelt  upon 
in  a  previous  chapter). 

The  Bar  Mitzvah  ceremony,  in  the  elabo- 
rateness given  to  it  in  previous  centuries,  has 
fallen  into  disuse  in  many  communities. 
With  the  ever-lessening  attention  paid  by 
Jews  to  the  study  of  Hebrew,  a  boy,  who  be- 
comes a  Bar  Mitzvah,  frequently  does  no' 
more  than  recite  the  benedictions  over  a  sub- 
section of  the  law  read  to  him  by  the  precen- 
tor of  the  synagogue.  In  those  communities 
where  the  Bar  Mitzvah  ceremony  has  either 
disappeared  altogether  or  been  modified  as 
stated,  an  institution  known  as  Confirma- 
tion, to  which  both  boys  and  girls  are  admit- 
ted, has  taken  the  place  of  the  Bar  Mitzvah. 
It  may  be  celebrated  at  any  time.  In  America 
"  Shebuoth,"  Feast  of  Weeks,  is  generally 
selected,  because  of  the  existing  tradition, 
that  on  the  sixth  day  of  Sivan,  the  third 
month,  the  law  was  given  to  Israel  at  Mt. 
Sinai.  This  time  is,  therefore,  best  suited  to 
impress     on     Confirmants     their     religious 


154  Bar  Mitzvah 

responsibility.  The  age  of  Confirmation  is 
about  the  same  as  that  of  the  Bar  Mitzvah, 
although  an  effort  is  now  being  made  to  raise 
the  age  of  Confirmation,  on  account  of  the 
need  of  a  more  pronounced  mental  maturity 
for  the  proper  comprehension  of  the  subjects 
taught  classes  prepared  for  this  ceremony. 
Confirmation  was  first  introduced  into  the 
synagogue  at  Cassel,  Westphalia,  in  1810. 


CHAPTER  XI 
Marriage 

The  ceremony  following  that  of  Bar  Mitz- 
vah  or  Confirmation,  in  the  life  of  the  Jew, 
is  that  of  marriage.  The  age  of  marriage 
differs  greatly.  In  some  sections  Jews  marry 
earlier  than  in  others.  The  practice  is  regu- 
lated for  the  most  part  by  the  custom  in 
vogue  among  non-Jews.  Israel  Abrahams 
tells,  that  "  the  early  age  at  which  marriages 
occur  must  have  been  partly  responsible  for 
the  chastity  of  the  Jews  in  the  middle  ages." 
Since  the  Mishnah  fixes  the  eighteenth  year 
of  one's  life  as  the  age  of  marriage,2  a  man 
unmarried  after  this  time  is,  in  many  com- 
munities, regarded  as  not  having  conformed 
with  inviolable  tradition.  The  Shulchan 
Aruch  states :  "  Every  Jewish  man  should 
marry  at  eighteen,  and  he  who  marries  earlier 

"Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,  p.  90. 
aAboth  5:  24. 


1 56  Marriage 

is  more  meritorious.  No  one,  however, 
should  marry  earlier  than  thirteen  years  of 
age." ' 

In  the  selection  of  a  spouse  Jews  and 
Jewesses  must  be  cautious  not  to  choose  any 
one  with  whom  wedlock  is  forbidden  on  ac- 
count of  consanguinity,  affinity,  chastity,  or 
on  religious  grounds.  The  marriages  for- 
bidden on  account  of  consanguinity  and 
affinity  are  those  stipulated  in  or  based  upon 
Leviticus  18:  11 -21,  and  there  regarded  as 
incest.  Marriages  forbidden  on  account  of 
chastity  are,  for  example,  the  marriage  with 
one's  divorced  wife,  after  she  had  been  mar- 
ried to  another  man;  the  marriage  of  adul- 
terers; the  marriage  between  a  divorced 
woman  and  a  witness  in  her  divorce  case ;  and 
the  marriage  of  a  legitimate  child  of  one 
family  with  an  illegitimate  child  of  another. 
Marriages  forbidden  on  religious  grounds 
are,  for  example,  the  marriage  of  Jews  with 
non-Jews;  the  marriage  of  the  childless 
widow  of  a  man,  who  leaves  an  unmarried 

'  Eben   Haezer    1 :  3. 


Marriage  157 

brother,  with  a  stranger;  and  the  marriage 
of  an  Aaronite  with  a  divorced  woman.  For 
further  particulars  as  to  restrictions  placed 
on  the  Aaronite  in  matters  of  marriage  we 
refer  to  the  21st  chapter  of  Leviticus.4 

A  marriage  can  take  place  any  day  of  the 
week  excepting  on  a  Sabbath  or  a  holiday. 
Every  Jewish  marriage  presupposes  three 
conditions — the  consent  of  both  parties  to 
the  marriage,  their  mental  soundness,  and 
their  legal  age. 

In  some  communities  the  professional 
match-maker,  "  Shadchan,"  plays  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  arrangement  of  marriages 
between  young  people.  When  he  finds  two 
persons,  who  in  his  opinion  are  fitted  as  part- 
ners for  one  another,  he  takes  the  initiative 
in  bringing  them  together.  The  Shadchan 
is  undoubtedly  a  remnant  of  the  Crusades, 
during  which,  owing  to  the  disintegration  of 
society  through  massacre  and  expulsion, 
Jewish  men  and  women  had  to  be  brought 
together  by  an  agent  of  the  Shadchan's  kind.5 

1  Lev.  21 :  6,  7,  14. 

5  Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,  p.  170. 


158  Marriage 

The  marriage  ceremony  consists  of  two 
parts — the  betrothal,  "  Erusin,"  and  the 
nuptials,  "  Nissuin,"  which  before  the  six- 
teenth century  were  performed  separately. 
The  betrothal  often  precedes  the  nuptials  by 
from  one  month  to  a  whole  year.  The  cere- 
mony is  performed  by  a  Rabbi,  although 
during  the  Middle  Ages  either  the  groom 
himself  or  some  guest  at  the  wedding  pro- 
nounced the  customary  benedictions.  While 
the  omission  of  the  benedictions  referred  to 
would  not  invalidate  a  marriage,  the  bene- 
dictions glorifying  God,  are,  as  a  rule,  never- 
theless recited,  since  according  to  Jewish  law 
marriage  is  a  divine  institution.  A  Jewish 
marriage  is  conducted  as  follows : 

The  bride  and  groom,  who  are  expected  to 
fast  on  the  day  of  their  marriage,  as  a  mark 
of  their  penitence  for  wrongs  committed  in 
the  early  part  of  their  life,  proceed  to  the 
altar.  The  bride  is  led  by  her  father  and  the 
groom  by  his  mother.  They  then  take  their 
places  under  a  nuptial  canopy,  "  Chuppah." 
The  Chuppah,  which  is  made  either  of  silk  or 


Marriage  i  59 

satin,  and  is  often  handsomely  embroidered 
with  the  words  |nn  Sip  "  the  voice  of  the 
groom,"  .TO  Sip  "  the  voice  of  the  bride," 
pw  Sip  "  the  sound  of  joy,"  and  nnDP  Sip 
"  the  sound  of  gladness,"  is  supported  by 
four  staves,  one  on  each  corner,  and  held  by 
four  guests.  Instead  of  an  embroidered 
covering  in  silk  or  satin,  a  large  praying 
scarf,  "  Talith,"  is  often  used. 

The  person  consummating  the  marriage 
opens  with  the  words : 

"  Blessed  be  he  who  comes  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.     We  bless  you  out  of  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

Come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down.  Let  us  kneel 
before  the  Lord  our  Maker. 

Serve  the  Lord  with  Joy.  Come  before  Him,  with 
shouting." 

Thereupon  Psalm  100  is  intoned,  followed 
by  these  words : 

"May  He,  Who  is  Mighty,  Blessed  and  Great, 
above  all  things  bless  the  bridegroom  and  the  bride." 

After  this  introduction  the  officiating 
clergyman  is  wont  to  give  a  charge,  upon  the 
conclusion  of  which  blessings  of  betrothal 


160  Marriage 

are  intoned.    Lifting  up  one  of  the  two  gob- 
lets of  wine,  the  clergyman  says  : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  creates  the  fruit  of  the  vine. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  has  sanctified  us  by  His  com- 
mandments and  commanded  us  concerning  forbid- 
den marriages;  Who  denied  those,  that  are  be- 
trothed, but  sanctioned  for  us  such  as  are  wedded 
to  us,  by  means  of  the  canopy  and  the  sacred 
covenant  of  wedlock.  Blessed  be  the  Lord, 
Who  sanctifies  his  people,  Israel,  by  means  of  the 
canopy  and  the  sacred  covenant  of  wedlock." 

The  bride  and  groom  having  drunk  from 
the  goblets  of  wine  just  blessed,  the  groom 
proceeds  to  place  a  ring  upon  the  forefinger 
of  the  bride's  right  hand,  saying : 

"  Behold,  thou  art  consecrated  unto  me  by  means 
of  this  ring,  according  to  the  laws  of  Moses  and 
Israel." 

Here  follows  the  reading  of  the  marriage 
contract,  "  Kethubah,"  given  to  the  bride. 
The  seven  nuptial  blessings  are  then  recited 
by  the  clergyman,  who  lifts  up  a  second 
goblet  of  wine,  saying : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  creates  the  fruit  of  the  vine. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  creates  all  things  for  His  Glory. 


Marriage  161 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Creator  of  man. 

u  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  made  man  in  his  image,  accord- 
ing to  His  likeness,  and  prepared  for  him  out  of  His 
own  being,  an  everlasting  fabric. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  Creator  of  Man.  May  she 
who  was  barren,  i.  e.,  Zion,  be  exceedingly  glad  and 
exult  when  her  children  are  gathered  within  her  in 
joy. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  Who  makes  Zion  glad 
because  of  her  children. 

Cause  the  loved  companions  to  rejoice,  even  as 
Thou  didst  in  days  of  old  gladden  Thy  creatures  in 
the  garden  of  Eden.  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  Who 
causes  the  bridegroom  and  the  bride  to  rejoice. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  our  God,  King  of  the 
Universe,  Who  created  joy  and  gladness,  bride- 
groom and  bride,  mirth  and  exultation,  pleasure  and 
delight,  love  and  brotherhood,  peace  and  fellow- 
ship. 

May  there  be  heard  soon  in  the  cities  of  Judah  and 
in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  the  voice  of  joy  and  glad- 
ness, the  voice  of  the  bridegroom  and  the  voice  of 
the  bride,  the  jubilant  voice  of  the  bridegrooms  from 
their  canopies  and  of  youths  from  their  feasts  of 
song. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  Who  causes  the  bridegroom 
to  rejoice  with  the  bride." 

The  young  couple  then  drink   from  the 
second  goblet.     A  glass   is  broken  by  the 
bridegroom  and  the  three-fold  priestly  bless- 
ii 


1 62  Marriage 

ing  is  intoned  as  a  fitting  conclusion  of  the 
ceremony. 

The  details  of  the  ceremony  have  their 
symbolical  significance.  The  Chuppah  rep- 
resents the  home  of  the  couple  which  is  to  be 
permeated  by  the  religious  spirit.  The  two 
goblets  of  wine  represent  the  cups  of  joy  and 
sorrow  and  the  bridegroom's  and  bride's 
drinking  from  both  is  expressive  of  their 
willingness  to  share  the  joys  and  sorrows  of 
life.  The  ring,  which  no  doubt  originated  in 
medieval  times,  is  a  substitute  for  the  coin, 
by  means  of  which  marriages  were  originally 
consummated.  It  must  be  made  of  pure  gold 
and  be  devoid  of  gems.  Its  purity  is  sym- 
bolic of  conjugal  fidelity ;  and  gems  are  omit- 
ted, as  their  exact  value  cannot  be  estimated. 
The  breaking  of  a  glass  is  for  good  luck.  It 
is  supposed  to  forestall  all  misfortune  due  to 
excessive  rejoicing.  The  custom  is  no  doubt 
based  on  a  legend,  which  tells,  that  when 
Rabbina's  son  was  married,  Rabbina  noticed 
that  the  guests  were  too  hilarious.  In  order 
to  check  their  glee  he  broke  before  them  a 


Marriage  163 

white  porcelain  vase  worth  two  hundred 
zuzim,  equal  to  $100  in  our  currency.8 

The  Kethubah,  or  contract,  which  pro- 
tected women  against  penury  in  the  days 
when  women  could  be  divorced  against  their 
will,  a  condition  changed  by  Rabbenu  Ger- 
sham,  a  teacher  of  the  eleventh  century, 
reads : 

"  On (day  of  the  week),  the 

day  of  the  month in  the  year 

A.  M.,  according  to  the  Jewish  reckoning, 

here,  in  the  city  of Mr son  of 

said  to  the  virgin daughter  of 

:  Be  thou  my  wife  in  accordance  with 

the  laws  of  Moses  and  Israel,  and  I  will  work 
for  thee,  honor,  support  and  maintain  thee, 
in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  Jewish 
husbands,  who  work  for  their  wives,  honor, 
support  and  maintain  them.  I  will  further- 
more set  aside  two  hundred  denarii  to  be  thy 
dowry,  according  to  the  law,  and,  besides, 
provide  thy  food,  clothing,  and  necessaries, 

"Tosephoth  Berachoth,  31,  a. 


164  Marriage 

and  live  with  thee  in  conjugal  relations 
according  to  universal  custom. 

Miss on  her  part  consented  to  be- 
come his  wife.  The  marriage  portion  which 
she  brought  from  her  father's  house  in  silver, 
gold,  valuables,  clothes,  etc.,  amounts  to 
Mr the  bridegroom,  con- 
sented  to   increase   this   amount    from   his 

property  with  the  sum  of making  in 

all He   furthermore  declared :     I 

take  upon  myself  and  my  heirs  the  responsi- 
bility for  the  amount  due  according  to  this 
contract  and  of  the  marriage-portion,  and  of 
the  additional  sum  (by  which  I  promised  to 
increase  it) ,  so  that  all  this  shall  be  paid  from 
the  best  part  of  my  property,  real  and  per- 
sonal, such  as  I  now  possess  or  may  here- 
after acquire.  All  my  property,  even  the 
mantle  on  my  shoulders,  shall  be  mortgaged 
for  the  security  of  the  claims  above  stated, 
until   paid   now   and    forever.      Thus,    Mr. 

,    the   bridegroom,    has   taken   upon 

himself  the  fullest  responsibility  for  all  obli- 
gations of  this  Kethubah,  as  customary  in 


r<- 


.i^<    ,: rimM 


maw  mm  mr\  d*6n  nenan  rate     #M 
pa  p»  wwf  pv?  oW  ntrd?      <§f 

Krtnna  son?  n1?  tdk 


Tp%o  rfrss*  tgan  *»rfcn  mm  ma  trua*?  *?  »m 
fmsn  rtri)7v  pnau  mabna  '3^>  w  ons&n  pr*n 
-no  »3*7  KXST1  KDPtp3  jimBtf?  potisdi  pjn  p™ 
Jj|  ,3,:it^  jtmrano  w  wn  jn*b  m?  sp3  ^af^ma 
**na  ^a  rrnxa  wifr  ^yoi  *3*pwoi  wiwdi 
mm  nh  arfrina  mo  raran 

*3D  m1?  rfwam  ami:  pi  iru*6  n-1? 
Mrctfn  ':nod  jmona  pa  dh?2  pa  ^J2  pa 
spa  trpipj  nao  Ktfrsn  tawaraoi  mn  wcyea 
pi  jn  -i  *asi  epss 

cnna  mis  spa  wpnpi  nao  mV*i  p  nV  cpoim 
iox  -p  bjtb  spa  crpip?  dvwq  tan  -p  pjua 
nv-inx  pi  p  i 

^  mtap  n*-i  KnsDim  p  trjru  *n  Knaina  *w 
p:,:l~i  poaj  ns*  ids'  tao  yisnrt?  ^tnna  ttt  ton 
♦ipo5?  NJiN  Tnyn  'jopn  imp  ta  mrrn  ,:?  mm 
jvt  pm;a  rsfnrtit  ?rh  rvbii  rvnnx  pr6  mn  poaj 
noh:  an  amairo  "ib&  p?wa  yns5?  pierctn  pannx 
?na  'ksto  ton  md^j  jo  frsKi  m  hdsdti)  p 
Nfaina  !&&  TDvn  nraNi  ato>to  pi  not  jo  vitoai 
"i  rtv  tap  nh  wisotra  p  iwfrn  tn 
mama  noBf  ta  noina  pi  jn 
man  jipra  pmtwi  btnsr  raaa  partrt  nrsoih 
naan  ^dbms  nVtj  kto»d»3  xta  rtTcfr  mm 

JTia?  pi  |n 
3pai  no  taa  nh  Nfmr^j 
api  tx'  tan  ma  N^po1?  fbyi  stsss  \nfo  ehisdi 


Marriage  Contract 


Marriage  165 

regard  to  the  daughters  of  Israel  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  strict  ordinances  of  our 
sages  of  blessed  memory;  so  that  this  docu- 
ment is  not  to  be  regarded  as  an  illusory 
obligation,  or  as  a  mere  form  of  documents. 

In  order  to  render  the  above  declarations 
and  assurances  of  the  said  bridegroom  to 
the  said  bride  perfectly  valid  and  binding,  we 
have  applied  the  legal  formality  of  symboli- 
cal delivery." 

To  this  document  are  usually  attached  the 
signatures  of  the  bridegroom  and  two  wit- 
nesses and  sometimes  also  the  signature  of 
the  officiating  clergyman.7 

The  ceremony  is  often  preceded  by  the 
reading  of  the  regular  afternoon  service, 
"  Minchah,"  and  is  itself  never  performed 
among  more  conservative  Jews  without  the 
presence  of  the  usual  devotional  quorum  of 
ten  men.  It  is  conducted  either  at  the  home 
of  the  bride  or  at  the  synagogue.  After  the 
ceremony  a  family  feast  is  held,  followed  by 

7  Vide  Mielziner,  "  Jewish  Law  of  Marriage  and 
Divorce  "  for  additional  details. 


1 66  Marriage 

a  special  prayer  of  grace.  These  are  the 
main  characteristics  of  the  Jewish  marriage. 
In  many  communities  there  are  some  special 
features  peculiar  to  them  and  not  known  by 
others.  Where  such  is  the  case,  the  special 
features  may  be  traced  to  similar  customs  in 
vogue  among  local  non-Jews. 


CHAPTER  XII 
Divorce  and  Chalitzah 
Although  the  Jew  regards  marriage  a 
divine  institution,  and  hence  one  to  be  main- 
tained throughout  the  husband's  and  wife's 
life,  he  favors  the  discontinuance  of  the  mar- 
riage state  under  certain  well  defined  and 
reasonable  conditions.  The  Jewish  divorce 
laws  are  based  on  the  following  passages  : 

"  When  a  man  hath  taken  a  wife  and  married  her, 
and  it  come  to  pass,  that  she  find  no  favor  in  his 
eyes,  because  he  hath  found  some  uncleanliness  in 
her,  then  let  him  write  her  a  bill  of  divorcement 
and  give  it  in  her  hand,  and  send  her  out  of  his 
house.  And  when  she  is  departed  out  of  his  house 
she  may  go  and  be  another  man's  wife."  * 

According  to  the  Biblical  passages  just 
cited,  the  right  of  divorcing  was  granted  to 
the  husband  with  no  provision  of  the  same 
right  to  the  wife.  In  order  to  prevent  the 
abuse  of  this  privilege  the  "  Kethubah,"  mar- 
riage contract,  was  introduced,  which  stipu- 

1  Deut.  24 :  1-2. 


1 68         Divorce  and  Chalitzah 

lated  a  dowry  for  the  wife,  in  case  of  her 
divorce;  while,  since  the  days  of  Rabbenu 
Gersham,  a  teacher  of  the  eleventh  century, 
restrictions  in  the  right  of  divorce  were  im- 
posed also  on  the  husband.  At  the  present 
time  no  divorce  can  take  place  according  to 
Jewish  law,  except  upon  common  agreement 
of  husband  and  wife.  Nor  is  the  right  to  sue 
for  divorce  any  longer  confined  to  the  hus- 
band. The  wife  enjoys  the  same  privilege  to 
free  herself  from  an  unhappy  union.  A  wife, 
as  well  as  a  husband  may  sue  for  divorce  on 
the  ground  of  adultery,  immorality  or  loath- 
some disease.  In  addition  to  these  reasons  a 
wife  may  sue  for  divorce  on  account  of  non- 
support  or  desertion.  It  must,  however,  be 
remembered,  that  while  divorce  is  permitted, 
Jews,  as  a  rule,  seek  to  avoid  a  legal  separa- 
tion between  husband  and  wife.  The  shame 
attaching  to  divorce  may  be  recognized  in 
the  well-known  Rabbinical  sentiments,  "  He 
who  divorces  his  wife  is  hated  before  the 
Lord  " ;  "  God's  altar  sheds  tears  for  him 
who  divorces  the  wife  of  his  youth." 


a'vra™  smtfft.  wi  D^gpw  iwon  nw     lYroaw  nava  Trttfa. 

■rttttt»si3K*T>rra*i  jnNftwsiaa  :ns  rp  itnv  ryaa  aW  inN^aa 

LI  L 

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Kww  soia  "ww  rsiyTO  'JW  nw«  "row  nd*  sfa  ayi  awsgau ns 

•nirrN  ms  *3*a  *a*sf  n»aY^snjH»si  rrpavn 

1  l  1 

ih03*^-"ww  wm  tfflfe  "wyobttei  si*TpjraT  jnNi3*t»&i33  avn  jnwyn 

l         I 

3 — p-rog  psi  ntt  twttj  p  *r?rrrN  mm  mryn  ^bn  np'  ei'abjn 


31TO1  JV  W?l 


II  I       I  1  1 

Tsaa  ttomjcra  ■£&»  b*vgp  nsubvi  asfon  t*'TO*j?*i  *y? » w  n 

r *1U3  trn  rpiav  tsttni  rspn  -i=p  "Ntp  »«  "in'  *t  tti 


w*i  : (VD  j  ; ts 

a' tv 

3Ty 


Bill  of  Divorce 


Divorce  and  Chalitzah  169 

The  divorce  is  always  conducted  in  the 
presence  of  the  religious  quorum  of  ten  men, 
although  originally  it  was  conducted  in  the 
presence  of  two  witnesses.  It  consists  of  the 
delivery  of  the  bill  of  divorce,  "  Get,"  by 
the  husband  to  the  wife.  The  bill,  written  in 
a  mixture  of  Hebrew  and  Aramaic,  reads  as 
follows : 

"  On  the day  of  the  week,  the 

day of  the  month in  the  year 

of  the  creation  of  the  world,  accord- 
ing to  the  number  we  reckon  here, the 

city,  which  is  situated  on  the  river and 

contains  wells  of  water,  I son  of 

who  stand  this  day  in the  city  situated 

on  the  river and  containing  wells  of 

water,  do  hereby  consent,  with  my  own  will, 
without    force,    free    and    unrestrained,    to 

grant  a  bill  of  divorce  to  thee,  my  wife 

daughter  of who  hast  been  my  wife 

from  time  past,  and  with  this  I  free,  release 
and  divorce  thee  that  thou  mayest  have  con- 
trol and  power  over  thyself  from  now  and 
hereafter,  to  be  married  to  any  man  whom 


170         Divorce  and  Chalitzah 

thou  mayest  choose  and  no  man  shall  hinder 
thee  from  this  day  forevermore,  and  thus 
thou  art  free  for  every  man.  And  this  shall 
be  unto  thee  from  me  a  bill  of  divorce,  a  let- 
ter of  freedom,  and  a  document  of  dismissal, 
according  to  the  laws  of  Moses  and  Israel." 

The  document  is  always  signed  by  two 
witnesses.2 

The  laws,  governing  the  writing  of  the 
bill  of  divorce,  as  found  in  the  Shulchan 
Aruch,3  are  of  interest.  We  shall  cite  only  a 
few  of  the  more  important.  The  bill  of  di- 
vorce must  be  written  in  twelve  lines,  with 
durable  ink,  on  parchment,  prepared  like  that 
of  the  scrolls  of  the  law.  It  must  not  be 
mutilated.  It  must  be  delivered  to  the  wife 
in  person,  either  by  the  husband  or  by  an 
agent  appointed  for  this  purpose.  It  must 
not  be  written  on  Friday.  It  must  be  free 
from  mistakes  or  repetitions.  Before  it  is 
written  the  writer  must  draw  thirteen  lines 

2  Mielziner,    "  Jewish    Law   of    Marriage   and    Di- 
vorce," and  Amram  "  Jewish  Divorce  Law." 

3  Eben  Haezer,   120-153. 


Divorce  and  Chalitzah         171 

across  the  parchment,  twelve  for  the  bill 
itself  and  a  thirteenth  line  divided  into  two 
halves  for  the  signatures  of  the  two  wit- 
nesses. Every  letter  must  stand  by  itself; 
that  is,  it  must  not  be  connected  with  others. 
Nor  must  the  letters  of  one  line  run  into 
another  line,  either  above  or  below.  The 
witnesses  and  writer,  husband  and  wife,  must 
not  be  in  any  way  related.  The  bill  of  di- 
vorce must  be  handed  to  the  wife  while  it  is 
day  and  not  at  night. 

An  institution  which  is  in  vogue  in  many 
communities,  and  reminds  us  of  divorce  pro- 
ceedings, is  "  Chalitzah,"  the  act  of  loosen- 
ing. By  means  of  it  the  childless  widow  of 
a  man  is  emancipated  from  the  duty  of 
marrying  the  dead  man's  eldest  single 
brother.  A  marriage  between  a  childless 
widow  and  her  husband's  single  brother  is 
called  "  Yibbum,"  from  the  Hebrew  "  Ya- 
bam,"  brother-in-law.  Its  English  equivalent 
is  "  Levirate."  This  peculiar  marriage, 
called  "  Levirate  marriage,"  together  with 


172         Divorce  and  Chalitzah 

the  form  of  emancipation  from  it,  is  based 
on  the  following  Biblical  law  : 

"  If  brethren  dwell  together  and  one  of  them  die 
and  have  no  child,  the  wife  of  the  dead  shall  not 
marry  without  unto  a  stranger;  her  husband's 
brother  shall  go  in  unto  her,  and  take  her  to  him 
to  wife,  and  perform  the  duty  of  a  husband's  brother 
unto  her. 

And  it  shall  be  that  the  first  born  which  she  bear- 
eth  shall  succeed  in  the  name  of  his  brother,  which 
is  dead,  that  his  name  be  not  put  out  of  Israel. 

And  if  the  man  like  not  to  take  his  brother's  wife, 
then  let  his  brother's  wife  go  up  to  the  gate  unto  the 
elders  and  say:  My  husband's  brother  refuseth  to 
raise  up  unto  his  brother  a  name  in  Israel;  he  will 
not  perform  the  duty  of  my  husband's  brother. 

Then  the  elders  of  his  city  shall  call  him  and 
speak  unto  him,  and  if  he  stand  to  it  and  say :  '  I 
like  not  to  take  her'; 

Then  shall  his  brother's  wife  come  unto  him,  in 
the  presence  of  the  elders,  and  loose  his  shoe  from 
off  his  foot  and  spit  in  his  face,  and  shall  answer 
and  say :  '  So  shall  it  be  done  unto  that  man  that 
will  not  build  up  his  brother's  house.' 

And  his  name  shall  be  called  in  Israel,  the  house 
of  him  that  hath  his  shoe  loosed."  * 

The  object  of  the  "  levirate  "  marriage 
was  not  only,  as  shown  in  the  Biblical  text 
quoted,  to  preserve  the  name  of  the  dead 
husband  but  also  to  keep  the  tribal  portion 

4  Dent.   25:    5-10. 


Divorce  and  Chalitzah  173 

of  the  dead  husband  in  his  tribe,  as  the 
brother  became,  according  to  the  old  Israel- 
itish  Agrarian  law  the  heir  of  the  dead  man's 
property  by  marrying  his  wife.  The  cere- 
mony attending  the  separation  of  all  ties  be- 
tween the  widow  and  brother-in-law  con- 
sists of  the  loosening  of  the  brother-in-law's 
shoe  by  the  widow,  whereupon  she  spits  out 
before  him  saying :  "  So  shall  it  be  done  unto 
the  man,  that  will  not  build  up  his  brother's 
house."  Three  judges,  for  the  most  part  the 
Rabbi,  and  chief  officers  of  the  congregation, 
must  attend  the  "  Chalitzah."  These  must 
be  related  neither  to  one  another  nor  to  any 
of  the  parties  seeking  the  emancipation. 
During  the  ceremony  the  religious  quorum 
of  ten  men  is  required.  The  "  Chalitzah  " 
dare  not  take  place  before  ninety-two  days 
after  the  death  of  the  husband.  The  widow 
is  expected  to  fast  on  the  day  of  her  emanci- 
pation. The  shoe  to  be  loosened  is  that  on 
the  right  foot  of  the  brother-in-law.  Dur- 
ing the  entire  ceremony,  the  judges  are  ex- 
pected to  sit  and  the  parties  to  the  separation 


174         Divorce  and  Chalitzah 

are  obliged  to  stand.  When  the  shoe  is 
loosened  the  brother-in-law  must  stand  firm 
upon  the  right  foot  and  in  no  way  assist  the 
widow  while  she  loosens  the  shoe  with  her 
right  hand.  She  is  not  permitted  to  use  the 
left  hand.  When  the  shoe  is  off,  she  throws 
it  from  her  as  far  as  possible.  The  widow 
then  expectorates  before  the  brother-in-law 
and  all  persons  present  exclaim  three  times : 
"  The  bare-footed."  The  brother-in-law  re- 
turns the  shoe  to  the  Judges,  from  whom  he 
originally  received  it,  and  they  say  to  him: 
"  May  God  be  gracious  unto  thee,  that  the 
daughters  in  Israel  will  never  have  to  marry 
the  brother  of  a  dead  husband,  or  receive 
'  Chalitzah  '  from  him."  At  the  "  Chalit- 
zah "  a  document  is  handed  by  the  brother- 
in-law  to  the  widow  as  a  sign  of  cessation  of 
all  mutual  obligations.5 

In  order  to  prevent  brothers-in-law  from 
abusing  the  "  Chalitzah  "  by  exacting  large 
indemnity  from  the  widows  who  often  de- 
sire to  be  emancipated,  brothers-in-law  are 

ri  Shulchan  Aruch,  Eben  Haezer,  169. 


Divorce  and  Chalitzah  175 

obliged  to  sign  a  document  "  Shtar  Chalit- 
zah," on  the  day  of  a  young  couple's  mar- 
riage, stipulating,  that  they  will  give  "  Chalit- 
zah "  without  the  claim  of  a  remuneration. 
In  many  communities  this  ceremony  has  dis- 
appeared entirely.  The  conference  of  Amer- 
ican Rabbis  held  in  Philadelphia  in  1869  an^ 
the  one  held  at  Augsburg  in  1871  ruled  the 
Chalitzah  as  unnecessary  for  Jews  of  the 
present  time.6 

6  Mielziner,    "  Jewish    Law    of    Marriage    and    Di- 
vorce." 


CHAPTER  XIII 
Mourning  Customs 

The  last  ceremonial  in  the  life  of  a  man 
is  the  death  bed  scene  and  the  mourning 
which  follows  in  his  honor.  It  is  these 
which  we  will  consider  now. 

When  the  persons  surrounding  a  patient 
notice  that  there  is  no  hope  for  recovery 
and  that  death  is  a  matter  of  only  a  very 
short  time,  they  prevail  upon  the  patient  to 
make  a  confession  of  his  guilt.  For  this 
purpose  the  Rabbi  is  not  summoned.  Any 
person  may  receive  the  confession,  as  the 
confession  is  not  analogous  to  the  last  sacra- 
ment of  the  Church.  The  last  words  of 
the  dying  Jew  are  always :  "  Hear,  O  Is- 
rael, the  Lord  is  our  God,  the  Lord  is  one." 
If  the  patient  is  too  weak  to  pronounce 
these  words,  those  in  attendance  do  so  for 
him.  In  the  case  of  a  woman's  death,  those 
called  in  to  be  with  the  dying,  are  usually 


178  Mourning  Customs 

women.  As  the  patient  closes  his  eyes  all 
present  say :  nDK  p  "jra  "  Praised  be  Thou, 
O  Judge  of  Truth!" 

Among  most  Jews,  when  death  takes 
from  them  some  near  relative,  a  garment 
is  rent  by  each  one  as  a  sign  of  grief.  This 
rending  is  termed  "  Keriah."  The  moment 
a  person  dies,  a  light  is  kindled,  which  is 
kept  burning  for  thirty  days  and  is  rekind- 
led at  every  anniversary  of  the  person's 
death.  Light,  as  has  been  said  before,  is  the 
thing  with  which  the  Bible  compares  the 
soul  of  man.  When  the  light  is  rekindled 
on  the  occasion  of  an  anniversary,  it  is  kept 
burning  for  twenty-four  hours,  from  sun- 
down to  sundown.  From  the  moment  that 
the  earth  covers  the  coffin,  containing  the 
remains  of  the  departed,  the  mourning  of  the 
family  begins.  It  is  then  that  its  members 
commence  to  recite  the  "  Kaddish,"  mourn- 
er's benediction,  at  every  service  during  their 
period  of  mourning.  There  are  several  forms 
of  the  "  Kaddish,"  the  language  of  which  is 
Aramaic.    The  most  common  form  is : 


Mourning  Customs  179 

"  The  great  name  of  God  be  exalted,  and  sanctified 
in  the  world,  which  He  created,  according  to  His 
will. 

May  His  Kingdom  be  established  in  your  life,  and 
in  your  days,  in  the  life  of  the  whole  house  of  Israel, 
now  and  forever.  Amen. 

His  great  name  be  glorified  forever  and  aye. 

Render  praise  and  benediction,  glory  and  exalta- 
tion. Speak  of  eminence  and  excellency.  Sing  songs 
and  hymns  to  His  hallowed  name.  Give  praise  to 
Him  Who  is  exalted  high  above  all  benedictions 
and  hymns  which  are  uttered  in  the  world.     Amen. 

May  the  Lord  of  Heaven  and  earth  grant  eternal 
peace  and  a  full  participation  of  the  bliss  of  eternal 
life,  and  mercy  to  Tsrael,  to  all  the  righteous  and 
to  all  who  departed  this  life  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 

Amen. 

May  heaven's  fullness  of  peace  and  life  be  granted 
unto  us  and  all  Israel.  Amen. 

May  He,  Who  makes  peace  in  His  heavens  high, 
also  bestow  peace  upon  us  and  all  Israel.        Amen." 1 

For  seven  days,  known  as  "  Shibah,"  in- 
cluding the  Sabbath,  on  which  there  is  no 
mourning,  and  the  holidays  which  modify  or 
set  aside  the  mourning,  the  mourners,  namely 
the  members  of  the  immediate  family  of  the 
departed,  sit  either  upon  the  floor  or  on  low 
stools,  as  a  sign  of  their  abject  condition  and 

1  This  English  rendering  is  taken  from  Dr.  Wise's 
Minhag  America. 


i8o  Mourning  Customs 

profound  grief.  During  this  period  every 
vocational  duty  is  discontinued.  On  every 
morning  and  evening  of  the  "  Shibah,"  ser- 
vices are  conducted  in  the  house  of  mourning. 
Friends  usually  send  mourners  their  food. 
In  some  communities  the  period  of  this 
mourning,  perhaps  appropriately  termed 
"  first  mourning,"  is  shortened  to  three 
days,  and,  in  others  to  one  day,  owing  to 
the  inability  of  many  people  to  discontinue 
business  for  seven  days  without  incurring 
great  losses.  On  the  Sabbath  eve,  after  the 
burial  of  a  relative,  the  mourners,  who  re- 
main in  waiting  in  the  ante-chamber  of  the 
synagogue  during  the  early  part  of  the  ser- 
vice, are  escorted  into  the  synagogue  proper 
by  the  precentor,  just  before  he  welcomes 
the  Sabbath.  To  do  this  the  precentor 
leaves  the  bema,  and  approaches  the  door 
with  words  of  consolation.  The  "  Shi- 
bah "  is  followed  by  a  second  mourning, 
"  Shloshim,"  thirty  days,  of  which  the  "  Shi- 
bah "  forms  a  part.  For  eleven  months, 
from  the  time  of  burial,  mourners  attend 


Mourning  Customs 


181 


every  day  all  services  in  the  synagogue,  in 
order  to  recite  the  "  Kaddish."  During  the 
first  week,  the  mourner  does  not  go  to  the 
synagogue,  as  services  are  held  in  the  house 
of  mourning.  Eleven  months  were  desig- 
nated, undoubtedly  in  order  to  separate  the 
year  of  mourning  from  the  immediately  fol- 
lowing year.  According  to  the  "  Shulchan 
Aruch  "  the  length  of  time,  during  which  the 
"  Kaddish  "  is  recited,  varies  according  to 
the  relationship  of  the  surviving  kinsman  to 
the  departed.  Modern  usage,  however,  pro- 
vides for  its  recitation  for  eleven  months 
for  every  bereavement  in  one's  immediate 
family. 

Another  occasion  of  hallowing  the  mem- 
ory of  the  dead,  as  well  as  praising  God  for 
one's  bereavement,  is  the  Memorial  service 
conducted  periodically  during  the  year  in  the 
public  service  of  the  synagogue. 

The  customs  of  burial  and  mourning  are 
not  the  same  in  all  countries.  Attention 
should  be  called  to  the  fact  that  the  Jewish 
dead  are  seldom  buried  in  anything  but  a 


182  Mourning  Customs 

plain   white   linen   shroud   and   in   simplest 
coffin. 

This  uniformity  of  the  attire  of  the  corpse 
is  based  on  the  desire  to  conform  to  the 
Biblical  passage :  "  Naked  came  I  out  of  my 
mother's  womb  and  naked  shall  I  return 
thither,"  2  not  to  mention  the  desire  to  em- 
phasize in  death  the  equality  of  all  men. 

2  Job  i  :  21. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
Ritualistic  Slaughtering 
Before  closing  the  treatment  of  Jewish 
ceremonial  institutions,  a  word  should  be 
said  about  the  ritualistic  slaughtering  of 
animals  fit  for  food  among  Jews.  A  few 
statements  will  suffice  to  convey  a  fairly 
definite  idea  concerning  it.  The  method  of 
killing  animals  for  food  among  Jews  con- 
sists of  severing  the  trachea  and  cesopha- 
gus  of  the  animal  by  means  of  a  knife,  en- 
tirely devoid  of  notches,  so  that  the  blood 
may  flow  easily  out  of  the  body  through 
the  slit  made.  Slaughtering  is  not  directly 
commanded  in  the  Pentateuch.  The  verse 
on  which  slaughtering  is  based  is : 

"  Only  be  sure  that  thou  eat  not  the  blood  for 
the  blood  is  the  life.  And  thou  mayest  not  eat  the 
blood  with  the  life."  x 

The  knives,  "  Challafim,"  used  differ  in 

size,  according  to  the  size  of  animals  to  be 

1  Dent.  12  :  23. 


184       Ritualistic  Slaughtering 

slaughtered.      For    fowl    there    is    a    small 
knife,  for  small  cattle  a  larger  one,  and  for 
big  cattle  one  of  extraordinary  size.     The 
act  of  slaughtering  is  known  as  "  Shechi- 
tah  "   and   the   person   performing   the   act 
is    titled    "  Shochet,"    a    slaughterer.      The 
"  Shochet "  must  be  a  person  qualified  by 
knowledge.     His  examination  before  com- 
petent   Judges,    if    passed    successfully    is 
called  "  Kabbalah."     The  "  Shochet,"  after 
a  careful  examination  of  its  various  vital 
organs,  passes  upon  the  fitness  of  the  animal 
slaughtered  for  food.    If  he  finds  the  animal 
sound  he  seals  the  parts  with  the  mark  "  Ko- 
sher "  meaning,  "  fit  for  food  "  in  contra- 
distinction to  "  Terefah  "  meaning  "  unfit," 
but  originally  signifying  something  torn  by 
a  wild  animal.     In  this  connection  the  fol- 
lowing passage   is   of   interest.      "  And  ye 
shall  be  holy  men  unto  me ;  neither  shall  ye 
eat  any  flesh  that  is  torn  of  beasts  in  the 
field;  ye  shall  cast  it  to  the  dogs."       All 

-Ex.  22:  31. 


1  Knife  for  Slaughtering  of  Fowl 

2  Knife  for  Slaughtering  of  Small  Cattle 

3  Knife  for  Slaughtering  of  Large  Cattle 

4  Circumcision  Knife 


Ritualistic  Slaughtering       185 

animals  are  "  Terefah  "  which  are  found  un- 
sound, have  died,3  or  are  killed  by  other 
means  than  that  of  slaughtering.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  state,  which  animals  are 
permitted  for  food  among  Jews.  Leviticus 
11  and  Deuteronomy  14  are  explicit  on  this 
subject.  Let  this  general  principle  suffice 
as  a  statement  of  the  guiding  rule  observed. 
Of  animals,  living  on  the  dry  ground,  only 
such  are  eaten,  which  chew  their  cud  and 
divide  their  hoofs,  while  of  animals,  living 
in  the  water,  only  such  are  eaten  which 
have  scales  and  fins.  Attention  should, 
however,  be  called  to  this  point,  that  certain 
parts  of  animals,  permitted  for  food,  are 
forbidden.  They  are  blood,4  fat,5  and  the 
hind  quarter  on  account  of  containing  the 
sciatic  nerve.  The  hind  quarter  is  avoided 
as  food  on  account  of  the  narrative  in  Gene- 
sis, which  concluding  the  story  of  Jacob's 
wrestling  with  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  tells : 

3  Dent.  14:  21. 

4  Dent,   t?  :  23. 
'Lev.   /■   23. 


1 86       Ritualistic  Slaughtering 

"Therefore  the  children  of  Israel,  eat  not  of  the 
sinew  which  shrank,  which  is  upon  the  hollow  of 
the  thigh  unto  this  day,  because  he  touched  the  hol- 
low of  Jacob's  thigh  in  the  sinew  that  shrank."  6 

Another  fact  to  be  mentioned  here  is, 
that  nothing  made  of  milk  in  any  form,  like 
butter  or  cheese,  is  used  by  Jews  together 
with  meat  or  fat  of  any  kind,  the  meat  of  fish 
alone  being  exempt.  This  custom  is  based  on 
the  Rabbinical  rendering  of  the  Biblical  pas- 
sage "  Thou  shalt  not  seethe  the  kid  in  its 
mother's  milk."  7 

The  rules  of  the  killing  of  animals  among 
Jews  and  those  governing  the  diet  of  Jews 
were  no  doubt  prompted  to  a  great  extent 
by  hygienic  considerations. 

These  are  the  main  ceremonial  institu- 
tions of  the  Jews.  There  are  a  great  many 
more  of  minor  importance.  To  treat  them 
all  would  be  an  almost  interminable  task. 
The  descriptions  given  in  the  course  of  these 
chapters  suffice  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  those 

fi  Gen.  32:  32. 
7  Ex  23  :  19. 


Ritualistic  Slaughtering       187 

institutions  practiced  by  most  Jews  in  their 
synagogues  and  homes,  and  of  such  institu- 
tions to  which  Jews  are  expected  to  conform 
in  the  course  of  their  religious  life. 


FINIS. 


INDEX 


Aaron   (House  of),  p.    144. 

Aaronite,  p.    157. 

Abin,  R.,  p.  19. 

Abraham  Ibin  Ezra,  p.  112. 

Abrahamitic     Covenant,     pp. 

133.  142. 
Accents,   p.    40. 
Afikomen,   p.    124. 
Agrarian    Law,    p.    173. 
Akibah,  p.  85. 
Alexandria,  pp.   13,   16. 
Almemar,  p.  24. 
Amulets,  pp.  59,  no,  111. 
Anan  Ben  David,  p.  59. 
Animals  permitted   for   Food, 

p.    185. 
Antioch,  p.    16. 
Anniversaries    of    Death,    p. 

ii5- 
Antiochus  Epiphanes,  p.    102. 
Arba  Kanfoth,  p.   64. 
Architecture,    p.    16. 
Ark,  pp.  24,  27. 
Ark  of  Covenant,  p.  29. 
Ashi,  p.  17. 

Atarah    (crown),  p.   60. 
Athens,  p.  16. 

Bar    Mitzvah,    pp.    36,     149, 

ISO,  151. 
Bare-footed,  p.    174. 
Bathing,  p.   141. 
Bema,  pp.   24,  42,  95,    142. 
Benediction,  p.   1 18. 
Berches,   p.    117. 
Betrothal,    p.    158. 
Blood    of    the    Covenant,    p. 

134. 
Booth,  pp.  99,  126. 
Breast-plate,  p.   32. 
Bridegroom     of     Genesis,     p. 

101. 


Bridegroom    of    the    Law,    p. 

101. 
Burial,  p.  46. 
Burial  Customs,  p.   181. 
Burial  Shrouds,  p.  96. 

Caesarea,    p.    16. 
Calendar,  p.   77. 
Candelabrum,  pp.  103,  117, 
Candlesticks,  p.    116. 
Capernaum,  p.    16. 
Card-playing,  p.   128. 
Caro,  Joseph,  pp.  26,  29,  82. 
Chalitzah,  p.   171. 
Chalitzah    (Document  of),   p. 

174. 
Challah,  p.  117. 
Charoseth,  p.   122. 
Chant,   p.   40. 

Christian    Influences,   p.    152. 
Chuppah,  p.  158. 
Circumcision,  pp.  31,   131. 
Circumcision  of  the  Dead,  p. 

134- 
Circumcision   Instruments,   p. 

135. 
Circumcision  (Manner  of),  p. 

135- 
Circumcision     (Postponement 

of),  p.    134. 
Circumcision     of    Proselytes, 

p.    140. 
Circumcision  and  Sabbath,  p. 

135- 
Circumcision     (Time    of),    p. 

133- 
Citron,  p.  97. 
Cohen,  p.  37. 
Confirmation,     pp.     87,      152, 

153,  154- 
Conversion     to     Judaism,     p. 

141. 


190 


Index 


Corinth,   p.    16. 

Court   for  Men,  p.    21. 

Court  for  Women,  p.   21. 

Crusades,   pp.   85,    157. 

Curtain,   p.   28. 

Cycles   (Pentateuchal),  p.   39. 

Damascus,  p.  16. 

Day  of  Atonement,  pp.  80,  96, 

127. 
Day  of  Blowing  the  Tumpet, 

P-  9i. 
Day    of    the    Giving    of    the 

Law,  p.  86. 
Day  of  Judgment,  p.  91. 
Day  of  Memorial,  p.  91. 
Decoration,   p.   20. 
Divorce,  p.  167. 
Divorce    (Bill    of),    p.    169. 
Divorce      (Grounds     of),     p. 

168. 
Dowry,  p.    168. 

Ecclesiastes,    p.    100. 
Egg,  p.   122. 
Elijah,  p.    137. 
Ephesus,   p.    16. 
Esther,   p.    104. 
Evil  Eye,  p.   112. 
Ezra,    pp.    15,    38. 

Fast,  pp.    158,   173. 
Fasting,   pp.   82,    96. 
Fast  of  First  Born,  p.  83. 
Fast  of  Ah,  p.  88. 
Fast    of    Esther,    p.    90. 
Fast   of   Gedaliah,    p.    90. 
Fast  of  Tebeth.  p.  90. 
Fast  of  Tammuz,  p.  88. 
Feast    of   the    Asmoneans,   p. 

102. 
Feast    of     Assembly,     p.    83, 

100. 
Feast  of  Booths,  p.  97. 


.Feast  of  Dedication,  pp.    102, 

127. 
Feast   of   Lots,   pp.    104,    127. 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,  pp.  88, 

96,  126. 
Feast   of  Weeks,  pp.   84,  86, 

153- 
Festival    of    Rejoicing    Over 

the  Law,  pp.  34,  50,  100. 
Fire  Signals,  p.  80. 
First  Mourning,  p.   180. 
Four  Cups  of  Wine,   p.    122. 
Fringes,  p.   61. 

Galleries,    p.    22. 

Get,  p.    169. 

Glass    (Breaking  of),  p.    162. 

Girls  (Naming  of),  p.  142. 

Gloves,  p.   50. 

Goblets,  pp.  74,   160. 

God-father,   p.    136. 

Habdalah,   pp.    70,    120. 
Hadrian,   p.   85. 
Half-holidays,   pp.    82,   97. 
Haphtaroth,   p.    38. 
Head  Covering,  p.  48. 
Hillel,  p.   103. 
Hillel  II,  p.  81. 
Holy  Vessels,  p.   32. 
Honey,   p.    125. 
Hoshana  Rabba,  p.  99. 
Huzal,   p.    16. 

Immersion,   p.    141. 
Incense,  p.  73. 
Ishmael,  R.,  p.   19- 
Israelites,  p.  37. 

Jacob,  R.,  p.  58. 

Jewish   Marriage    (Conditions 

of),  p.  157. 
Jewish  Months,  p.  78. 
Judas     Maccabeus,     pp.     102, 

127. 
Jubilee,  p.  92. 


Index 


191 


Kabbalah,   p.    184. 
Kabbalists,  p.  95. 
Kaddish,    pp.    178,    181. 
Karaites,    pp.    58,    99- 
Keriah,  p.    178. 
Kethubah,   pp.    160,    163,    167. 
Kiddush,   pp.   67,    118,    127. 
Kosher,  p.   184. 

Lamentations,  p.   89. 

Leap  Year,  p.  78. 

Leaven,   p.    121. 

Lebanon,    p.    75. 

Levi,  p.  37. 

Levirate  Marriage,  p.   171. 

Light,  p.    178. 

Luach,  p.  81. 

Lunar  Calendar,   p.   77. 

Lydda,   p.    16. 

Maftir,  pp.  37,  40,  151. 
Maimonides,   p.   25. 
Maror,  p.   122. 
Marriage,  p.   155. 
Masora,  p.  30. 
Masquers,  p.   130. 
Mata  Mechasia,  p.   16. 
Megillah,   p.    104. 
Memorial  Service,  p.  181. 
Messengers,  p.  80. 
Messenger   of   the    Congrega- 
tion, p.  24. 
Metonic    Calendar,   p.   78. 
Mezizah,  p.  136. 
Mezuzah,  p.    108.     ' 
Minchah,  p.   165. 
•Mizrach,  p.   113. 
Mohammedans,    pp.    40,    no. 
Mohel,  p.    133- 
Motzie,  pp.    119,   127- 
Mourning  Customs,  p.   177- 
Musical  Instruments,  p.  21. 
Myrtle,  p.  98. 


Nazareth,  p.   16. 
Neginah,  pp.  40,   150. 
Nehardea,  p.  16. 
Nehemiah,  p.  15. 
New  Moon,  p.  79. 
New  Year,  p.   125. 
New  Year  Cards,  p.  125. 
Nuptials,  p.    158. 

Oesophagus,  p.   183. 
Omer,  p.  84. 
Organ,  p.  21. 
Oshaiah,    R.,    p.    19. 

Palm-Branch,   p.   97- 

Parsees,    p.    49- 

Parts    of  Animals   Forbidden 

for  Food,  p.  185. 
Passover,   pp.    77 .    82,    121. 
Paul,  p.  49. 

Pentateuchal   Sections,  p.   34- 
Periah,  p.  135. 
Perpetual   lamp,    p.    26. 
Pews,  p.   21. 

Phylacteries,  pp.    51,    150. 
Plays,  p.    106. 
Pointer,   p.   32. 
Prayer  for  Dew,  p.  83. 
Prayer  for  Rain,  p.  83. 
Precantor,  pp.  24,  36,  42,  67, 

104,  153,  180. 
Presents,  pp.   128,   130. 
Procession,  p.    101. 
Puzzles,  p.  128. 

Quorum,    pp.    46,     165,     169, 
173- 

Rab,  p.  17. 

Rabbenu    Gersham,    pp.     163, 

168. 
Rabbenu  Tarn,  p.   58. 
Rabbina,  p.    162. 
Ram's  Horn,  p.  92. 


192 


Index 


Rashi,  p.   58. 

Redemption  (Cost  of),  p.  144. 

Redemption  of  First-born,  p. 

143. 
Redemption  Money,  p.  145. 
Redemption    (Origin    of),    p. 

143- 
Religious  Majority,  p.  152. 
Removal  of  Sirolls,  p.  41. 
Ring,  pp.  160,  162. 
Robes,  p.  31. 
Rome,  p.   16. 

Rosh    Hashanah,    pp.    80,    91. 
Ruth,  p.  87. 

Saadya,  p.  93. 

Sabbath,  pp.   67,    116. 

Sabbath  Lamps,  p.    117. 

Samaritans,  p.  38. 

Schul,   p.    14. 

Scribe,    p.    31. 

Scroll  (Reading  of),  p.  33. 

Scrolls,    p.    29. 

Second    Mourning,    p.    180. 

Seder,  p.   121. 

Sefirah,  p.  85. 

Selichoth,  p.  92. 

Sending  of  Gifts,   p.    130. 

Separation  of  Sexes,  p.  22. 

Shadchan,  p.  157. 

Shammai,  p.   103. 

Shammash,  p.   102. 

Shank-bone,  p.   122. 

Sharshia,  p.  94- 

Shechitah,  p.   184. 

Shibah,  pp.    115,    179- 

Shield   of   David,  pp.   20,   32, 

58,  112. 
Shloshim,  p.   180. 
Shochet,  p.  184. 
Shulchan    Aruch,    p.    26,    29, 

82,  112,  134,  140,  i55»  J70, 

181. 
Sidra,  p.  35. 
Slaughtering,   p.    183. 


Slaughtering   (Knives  of),  p. 

183. 
Small  Praying  Scarf,  p.  64. 
Solemn  Days,  p.  91. 
Song  of  Songs,  p.  85. 
Sopher,   p.    30. 
Soul,  pp.  07,   178. 
Sounds   of   Sliofar,   p.    94. 
Spices,  p.  71. 
Spice  Boxes,  p.   74. 
Students      of      Talmudic 

Schools,  p.  48. 
Sub-section,  p.  35. 
Sura,  p.   17. 

-Synagogue,    pp.     12,    69. 
Synhedrin,  p.  80. 

Tablets,  p.  27. 

Talith,   pp.   59.    159- 

Taper,    pp.    75,    96,    101,    102, 

127. 
Tartiel,  p.  94. 
Ten    Days    of    Penitence,    p. 

01. 
Terefah,   p.    184. 
Thessalonica,  p.   16. 
Three  Weeks,   p.  88. 
Tiberias,  p.    16. 
Trachea,  p.    183. 
Trendel,   p.    128. 
Trope,   pp.    40,    150. 

Unleavened  Cakes,  p.   122. 
Uraniah,  p.  23. 

Washing    of    Hands,    pp.    46, 

118. 
Watch-night,  pp.  87,   100. 
Wedlock,    Forbidden,    p.    156. 
Willow,  p.  98. 
Witnesses,    p.    80. 
Worms,  p.  23. 
Wrapper,    p.    31. 

I     Yibbun,  p.   171. 

I    Zemiroth,  p.   119. 


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